Acid Rock Riot
by Shadowcrest Nightingale
Summary: A hard luck bounty chase lands the crew of the Bebop on an abandoned asteroid. Stranded deep in the terraformed jungle, they soon learn they are far from alone and the usual tactics won't work against the denizens left behind. There's nothing 'amusing' about this thrill ride.
1. Session 1

_**Acid Rock Riot**_

 _ **Session 1**_

Asteroids drifted past the _Bebop_. Illuminated by the bridge lights, Jet leaned forward and peered through the field of flying jagged rocks. His brow furrowed. Behind him Ed's merry tapping on the keys carried as an undercurrent beneath the barrage of proximity alarms.

"Seriously," he grunted, "how do we get into messes like this? It was an easy job."

Ed laughed. "Mr. Spike-person said it was the cheap missiles you buy."

"Mr. Spike-person is about to buy his own damn missiles!" Jet leaned on the controls, narrowly avoiding a collision with a smaller rock. "Come on Ed, you got anything?"

"Rock, rock, rock … lotsa rocks. No tail to follow."

He heaved a sigh. "This is impossible."

Footsteps carried up the stairs to the bridge. Faye's sharp voice echoed up, "I can't believe you missed the mark!"

Spike answered her tersely, "Well if I hadn't suddenly been fighting the jetwash from someone else's ship maybe I wouldn't have!"

"Huh, that coming from the loudmouth who brags about his piloting skills and can out fly anyone on this ship."

"Any day of the week, Romany. You just gotta learn how to stay outta my way."

Stomping onto the bridge she turned on him and snapped, "Well, Mr. Hawkeye, how come you couldn't trail him? You've flown through tighter paths than this."

Spike huffed and lit a cigarette before replying. "Stayed out there longer than you did. I wasn't the one who shrieked when a pebble nearly hit her craft. You're damn lucky I rolled or the _Swordfish_ would have rode right up the _Redtail's_ rear. That would have been worse on you than me."

Sparing only a glance over his shoulder, Jet bellowed, "Knock it off! I need to concentrate, unless you useless pieces of shit want to die!"

Ed threw her hands in the air and cheered, "Weeee!"

Spike half-lidded his eyes and shook his head. "That kid isn't right."

"No. Look!" She held up her computer to Jet. "The trail! A blip blip on that big asteroid."

"'Bout time. Alright, link me to the coordinates." In a flash, the screen highlighted the target in the ring of spinning space rock.

Ed pressed against the window. With a click of claws, Ein joined her, his ears flared up. As _Bebop_ shifted through the field she jumped on her toes. "Green green! Bright green! Jelly Bean!"

Spike and Faye furrowed their brows at the odd looking terraform ring on the asteroid. Faye lit her own cigarette and smirked. "Looks like a moldy potato."

"Hate to agree with you … but uhh … yeah. How'd they get that much plantlife in there?"

"Veggies!" Ed grabbed Ein and spun him around in the air. "Ed wants to walk in the green stuffs."

Gritting his teeth, Jet maneuvered the ship around another careening rock. "Ed, get back on your computer and get me more info on this thing. We gotta land."

"Nyyyooo." Taking her computer back up, she swiftly grabbed a better scan of the terrform colony. "No access codes. It's shut down, abandoned. But … see the shiny? There's a big lake!"

"Perfect. At least one of us is lucky today."

Spike shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, someone, and I'm not naming names here, did manage to smoke out the mark's engine and force him to land. Just sayin'."

* * *

The _Bebop_ floated on the algae encrusted lake tethered to the rusted dock. The crew filed out onto the creaking structure into the air dripping with moisture. The sun beat down onto the jungle choked terraform ring miles wide. Spike hooded his eyes with a hand and peered into the leaves at the remaining structures. "Well, this place has seen better days."

Faye shielded her eyes from the blinding glint coming from between some branches far up a distant slop. "Are those buildings?"

"Look to be." Jet stepped off the ship onto the dock and took in the silence surrounding them. Nothing but vines and tall trees growing into the lake's banks. There were rolling hills within the ring, the final edges sweeping up the sides of the weather barrier. "Good news is we have atmo."

"Yeah." Spike snorted a laugh. "Or else we'd kinda be turnin' blue by now."

Faye flashed him a snide smile. "Well we know someone with experience in that."

In unison, Jet and Spike replied, "Shut up, Faye."

Like a shot, Ed came spinning around a mossy pole. "Eeeeee!" At her heels Ein danced along with her computer strapped to his back. His tongue lolled out as he snuffled along the rusted planks.

Shaking off Faye's remark Spike searched the sky. "No sign of smoke. We sure he's in here?"

Jet tapped his foot. "Alright, Ed. I said you could come if you helped us find where he crashed. Now, time to make good on your promise. Where is he?"

Ein stood in front of her providing the perfect platform. She typed in a quick sequence and rocked back and forth waiting for the reply. At last she swung her arm towards a bridge crossing a ravine. "Over that way. His beacon is still blinky, but the ship is kaput."

Double checking to make sure his gun was fully loaded, Spike patted it back in place. "I'm not missing _this_ time." He shot Faye a glare. She stuck her tongue out at him. Without another word he strode for the bridge with the others in tow.

Following the overgrown path they pushed tropical trees draped in moss covered vines out of the way. The jungle had swallowed all but the tiniest glimpse of structures. There was no telling what the place had initially been, other than belonging to some insanely rich nature nut.

Reaching the rickety suspension bridge, Spike eyed the rusted chains holding it up. The metal mesh planks gleamed with juicy green moss. He edged out onto the first one and tested his weight on it, his foot slipped a bit. "Hrm. Should hold. Just be careful, it's slick."

"Spike," Jet held up a hand, "Are you—" His question died in a groan as Spike walked easily across the bridge without further inspection. As soon as he was across, Ed and Ein dashed over sending the bridge swaying as she giggled. Faye shrugged and stepped onto the planks, hanging on to the chains as she went. Shaking his head, Jet muttered, "Wouldn't listen to me anyway." With his hands in his pockets he stepped across the groaning structure. Every motion set the chain reaction. Beneath him a great chasm yawned appearing like a gigantic hungry mouth. He tensed and pushed himself across to the other side heaving a sigh of relief the moment his feet touched solid ground.

Faye glanced over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Let's get moving. I want to get this bounty and get off of here." Well ahead of him, Spike was already climbing the path over a hill. The path turned out to be a long and winding one without the sight of a crashed ship. And the further they went, the narrower it became. Branches reached out beneath the enclosing tree caps and tried to trip them.

Wiping his brow, Spike turned and glanced back at the others. "Is it me or are we going in circles?"

Jet, bringing up the rear, grumbled as he freed his foot from a root. "Let me go!"

"Men are such babies." Faye folded her arms. "You two have never been in a forest before, have you."

Instantly they took interest in looking into the foliage while Faye laughed.

"Well, that's kinda besides the point." Spike shrugged. "Where the devil is this guy? I can't see a dang thing in all this … " Motion caught his eyes. As silent as possible, Spike slid through the underbrush vanishing from sight.

Faye shot Jet a scowl and mouthed, _Where is he going?_

Unable to do a whole helluva lot, Jet just shrugged and let it go.

Through a gap in the leaves Spike spied a patch of gray shifting around. Almost looked like a bit of armor. It made sense for a gun runner to wear gear. Obviously he was distracted. With a sly grin, Spike creapt up to within striking distance. He'd never see it coming. He drew his left hand back in a fist …

With a whine of gears, the gray plate shifted up revealing two beady eyes glaring at Spike. He blinked at the strangest creature he'd ever seen. It looked like a lizard wearing a smooth domed helmet. Its eyes fixed on Spike with all the intensity of a street-brawler.

"Heh, so you wanna fight. Alright." Spike grinned and drove his left fist straight at the beast.

It tucked its head at the last second. Spike's hard strike connected with the center of the dome, dead on. It sounded like a gong struck by a slab of meat—with a crack. Immediately, Spike's breath locked in his chest, he staggered back, cradling his hand. The creature raised its head out of the brush, towering over him. Every motion producing a shriek of metal against metal. The beast opened its mouth and roared, scraping huge three toed feet on the ground in a clear threat.

"Oh shit!" Spike turned and darted back into the brush. The bipedal beast stomped where he had been a moment before. "Run! Run! We're not alone!"

Jerking upright, Jet tried to see through the crashing foliage. "What did you do, Spike?"

"I pissed it off!" Spike's high-pitched wail cut through the series of low thuds. "Run!" He broke through and passed them.

A second later the enraged creature smashed a tree in its path into splinters. Jet grabbed Ed and threw himself into the brush. He drew his gun and squeezed off a shot. It hit the thing with a metallic ping and the bullet plunked harmlessly into the reeds. The beast kept charging accompanied by the sounds of hydraulics firing at full speed.

Faye, carting Ein with Ed's computer still strapped to his diminutive body, gasped. "What the hell is it?"

"Bullet proof and pissed!" Jet snapped. "And gaining on us. We need to get higher!"

"There!" Ed pointed up at the glint of broken glass up in what looked like a cluster of trees. Like a monkey, she flew up and into the branches. Jet scrambled up behind her. The moment he was on the platform high above the forest floor, Faye, halfway up, tossed Ein into his arms. Ein whimpered and dashed between a gap in the panels, seeking refuge from the thunderous charge below. Faye clung to the tree, using the branches to lever herself up.

Jet leaned over, his eyes wide. "Spike! Get up here!"

From below Faye, Spike gripped a branch with his right hand. The moment he tried to grasp with his left, he slid down, panic welling in his eyes. Faye glanced over her shoulders. The beast slammed into the tree, knocking Spike's precarious hold loose. He screamed in shock.

"Give me you hand!" Faye leaned down, her open hand stretched out.

Spike threw his left wrist into her hand without even a snide remark. She tugged him up. Like a strange symbiotic treeclinger, they made their way up onto the platform. The beast below, now joined by several others, repeatedly drove their domed heads into the tree, shaking it.

Taking refuge in the vine shrouded building, Spike panted. Jet loomed over him, staring at his left hand. "Lemme guess, you couldn't climb cause you broke your hand."

"No." Spike's rebuke turned into a shrill cry as Jet grabbed his hand and moved the already swelling knuckles.

"Yes! Damn it!" Jet scowled. "Need something to hold things in place. Take your tie off."

"I'll be fine—owwww! Stop squeezing it! That hurts!"

"Take it off, if I have to you'll regret it."

Spike rolled his eyes and tugged the knot loose. "You're making a big deal—owww owww!"

Jet snuffed. "Well, I could just leave this a mess. You hear that?"

"STOP! Please!"

"That's bone on bone."

Spike growled, "That's what happens when you punch something metal."

Faye tapped her foot. "Why the hell did you hit it?"

"I didn't know it was armored! What the hell was that thing, anyway?"

Ed grinned into her computer screen. "Hehehe, Pachycephalosarus."

All three adults stared blankly at her until she turned Ein around so the screen was visible. A bipedal dinosaur appeared on the screen. Cradling his bandaged hand, Spike cocked his head. "Yeah, that's Ugly alright. But … what the hell is that?"

Ed rocked back and forth. "A dinosaur. There were lots of different kinds on Earth."

Jet scratched his head. "I've never seen anything like that on Earth."

"A long long time ago. T-Rexs, brontosaurs, raptors, troodons, compsonathus, allosaurs. Lots and lots. Now there's just plastic ones to play with."

"Uhh." Spike glanced down at the beasts now bashing eachothers heads together as they circled the tree. One had a metal plate missing exposing gears and mechanics. "They weren't real bright, clearly."

Leaning through the window, Faye smirked, "You'd get along with them, looks like they enjoy hitting things."

"Oh haha, Faye. We have a problem here, in case you haven't noticed. They've got us trapped."

"And who decided on the brilliant plan to go and punch one?"

He threw her an acidic glare before turning to Ed. "If there were these uhhh … dinosaurs on Earth, where did they go? Why aren't they there now?"

She threw her hands wide. "Cause of the big old space rock colliding with Earth. Boom! Bang! No more dinos."

For a moment they just sat there in the silence. Then it struck Jet, he sat bolt upright. "We're on an asteroid! Don't anybody even think about sending this thing colliding with a planet to get rid of them!"

Spike wrinkled his brow. "You seriously thought I would pull something of that magnitude?"

Faye folded her arms and glared at him. "We need to have a talk about past behavior, Spike."

He was about to reply when he dashed to the edge of the platform and pointed. "Great … isn't that the bridge we crossed to get here?"

In the distance a rather large creature attempted to cross. A tremendous squeal of fatigued metal echoed in the valley before the bridge let go. The creature fell screaming into the chasm.

Jet's shoulders dropped. The _Bebop,_ all their ships, their supplies … everything was on the other side. Finding the bounty now fell to the bottom of their list. Faye's jibe had been right. He'd never been in the jungle before. As street savvy as Spike was, he couldn't imagine he'd spent much time away from the city.

Spike's half-lidded gaze took in the rutting pachycephalosaurs below. He lit a cigarette and sighed out the smoke. "Well. Looks like we'll be here for a while."

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	2. Session 2

_**Session 2**_

Jet opened his eyes into a world of brilliant green. But this wasn't his bonsai trees. The humidity clung to him like a film, it was no wonder this place was dripping with moss. He sat up from the floor where he'd lain down a few hours ago. Damn how he wished this had all been a bad dream. But the sight of a sleeping Faye sprawled on the floor beside Ed and Ein nestled together among the creeping vines proved it was happening.

If that hadn't been enough to cement it in, he glimpsed Spike leaning against the edge of the window. His black tie wrapped around his left hand compressing the swelling. Between the gaps, Jet could make out the dark purple bruising. From this angle he noted Spike's rather morose expression as he stared down into the surrounding forest.

As quietly as he could, so as not to wake the others, Jet walked over and leaned on the railing beside Spike. "They still down there?"

The clack of headdomes colliding answered the question.

He cringed at the impact before glancing at his partner. "Hey, how's the hand?"

Spike shifted away from him. "Still busted."

"Yah, I figured. That ah, that must've been a pretty solid hit you landed."

He nodded, his eyes betraying fatigue, yet still they studied the circling pachycephalosaurs below and beyond to the lay of the land.

Jet shook his head. "Still trying to figure a way out of this mess, huh?" He waited, only to be answered by stark silence. "Still feeling guilty about throwing the first punch?"

He bowed his head. "Are you gonna make me say it, partner? Is that what you want?"

"Would it solve anything?" Jet leaned heavier on his arms. "Doesn't matter. I might've done the same. That's a fact."

"No you wouldn't have. And even if you had, your left hook is metal." Spike lifted one shoulder and let it fall.

"Well, you got any brilliant ideas?"

Throwing him a wry look, Spike blurted out, "You're always quick to remind me plans aren't my strong suit. You know, impulse and all that." He held up the injured hand.

Jet glanced away. "A guy can be wrong. I mean, after all, you planned that whole Red Eye sting. That was … that was a pretty slick strategy. Look, pard, I know this isn't a good place to be. But we've been through worse and clearly lived, right?"

"You and I, yeah." Spike tossed a half-hidden glance at Ed and Ein. "But this time we got other things to watch out for."

"Let's save plans for another time. You're spent." Jet waved a hand out at the darkening jungle. "Looks like the sun is leaving us in the dark. I told you I'd take the watch after yours. Get some shut-eye. I'll wake Faye for her stint."

Wearily, Spike trudged over to the driest spot on the floor and flopped down on his back. His left hand rode up and down on his chest as he breathed. In the span of a few breaths, Spike's rhythm dropped into sleep.

Jet chuckled softly. "Spike-o, I swear you can sleep anywhere. Wish I could do that." He turned back to the window and watched the darkness gathering around him. Without the sun, the temperature hardly dropped, but the bright green faded to a dreadfully shadowed night. Hours passed with the pack of dinosaurs apparently sleeping beneath the tree. Only a faint glow of operation lights betrayed their spacing.

His eyes heavy from peering into the dark reaches, Jet glanced back inside to find the others had moved. Spike still lay sprawled on his back, but now Faye nestled up beside him with her head resting on the shoulder of his outflung right arm. She faced him, huddling close even though the heat remained. On Spike's other side, Ed hugged his upper arm. Her head rested on Ein's body. The little dog's ears twitched in a dream.

A smile tugged at Jet's lips. "So which is the reality? The bickering, or this? Oh the blackmail I could rain on them with just one photo." But he resumed his watch for the remaining hours. At last he nudged a grumbling Faye awake before lying down to rest as she took over the watch.

Dawn had not yet spread across the sky when Spike cracked open his eyes. It was incredibly warm. Far too warm. In fact, his suit was damp from sweat and humidity. And his hand throbbed miserably. But all of that dwindled in a second.

He realized he was surrounded by sleeping companions. Faye snored in his right ear, her arm across his chest not far from touching the fingertips of his broken hand. On his other side Ed muttered some coded language he didn't begin to understand while Ein's legs kicked up in the air. That was disturbing. Above him, though— _ **that**_ was what had his attention.

A small, chicken sized lizard with bright metallic feathers perched on the edge of the window. The mechanical eyes buzzed as they focused. It snapped its head back and forth in a manner Spike was slightly accustomed to, after all he'd done it himself when trying to get a better angle with his synthetic eye. The creature opened the jaw of its long snout, the mouth lined with serrated teeth. It released a quiet peep, not unlike a bird. Looking up he glimpsed a long tail lined with rows of metal feathers balancing the small beast.

He kept his breathing steady. He couldn't strike with Faye's head trapping his arm. Besides, he remembered the last time he struck too swiftly. At the moment this creature looked more curious than anything else. It spread its wings and leaned further, studying them all.

Faye shifted, her eyes opened slowly at first. The movement of the creature snapped her eyes open. She screamed into Spike's ear. The sound burst everything into a commotion. Spike jerked away from her, covering his ear. Ed and Ein rolled away. Ed's eyes opened wide as the creature took flight. She pointed and sang out, "Archeopteryx! Ooo-lala!"

Jet sat up too quickly and struck his head on an overgrowth of vines. "Oooof! Faye, what the hell... wait, what are you doing over here? Aren't you on watch?"

"I was, but it's not like we can see much in the dark without flashlights. And besides, they can't climb trees."

Spike sat all the way up and smirked. "Well, our wake-up call says clearly some of them can. Way to go, Faye. We could have been pecked to death in our sleep by robotic chicken-sized dinosaurs. That's a new low in ways to die."

She blushed. "It was small, you saw it. Something that size couldn't have done that much damage … right? Aww come on guys!"

Jet and Spike both glared at her, folding their arms over their chests.

"I stood as much of my watch as I could until I got sleepy."

"Nice." Jet grunted. "And we both forced ourselves to stay awake. Same ol' reliable Faye."

The rays of sunlight stretched across the sky. A flock of the colorful archeopteryx glided up on the rising thermals, bright light caught their feathers in a brilliant dance. Ed and Ein watched the display and grinned.

Across the valley the silence broke in a long, raising tone echoing in a series. The strange sound emitted from thousands of locations.

Spike and Jet clung to the edge of the platform straining to place the odd sound. "What the hell was that?"

Silence descended at last.

But it didn't last long. The sound of empty stomachs growling announced a dire need. Faye gripped her belly. "Ohh, what I wouldn't give for … well, anything to eat right now. I'm starving."

Spike plucked a leaf from the vine and started to shred it between the fingers of his right hand. "The food's back on the ship. Feel free to walk there. I'm sure Ugly and friends will let you waltz right through them."

"They're not still there." She peeked over the edge only to be greeted by the annoyed glares of a dozen pachycephalosaurs awake and ready to charge. "Uhhh, that's ok. But … we still have to find something."

"We need water at the least. We can go a while without food, but water is critical."

Faye stomped a foot. "I'm starving already."

Jet ignored her. Though Spike hadn't been in the jungle, as far as he knew, the man had survived over a year in prison on Pluto. That counted for something. "Alright Spike, you know a bit about this. How long do we have?"

"In these conditions?" He took his drenched jacket off and tied it around his waist. "We're all sweating in this heat, so water is critical. We need a source today or we'll be in real trouble. Food, well," he shrugged, "I can attest to going far longer than I thought possible without even a mouthful of food. Not pleasant, but survivable. I have no clue what, if anything, can be eaten around here."

"Any chance of a water supply to this place?" Jet studied the buried tree house walls.

Spike joined him with a low laugh. "You think I didn't spend my watch checking that out? Nope. No electricity, no water. We stay here, we'll be dead soon. But," he walked over to one of the gaps in the vines and pointed, "it'll be a balancing act. However, if we can cross these branches that looks like a bigger building under all those leaves. And I don't think our pals will figure out we've left if we're quiet enough."

The vine choked branches looked horridly riddled with tripping points and narrow passes. "That's all you got?"

Ed grinned and tugged on a vine. "We could be like Tarzan. Aaaa aaa aaa aa aaa!" She pounded her chest.

A second later, the collision of a pachycephalosaurs shook the tree.

"Guess they don't like Tarzan." Spike smirked.

Joining the guys at the window Faye squinted at the outline of the building. A sloped roof line punched through by vines and trees sprawled over an immense structure. At the center of it a taller structure rose out of the mess, part of it looked like a wall was missing, chipped out and lined with debris. But at the top it appeared like a narrow room of some sort. "Hey guys, that looks like an observation tower. Maybe it'll be high enough we can get a good idea of what this place looks like. Find a way back to the ship."

Jet shrugged. "Good a plan as any. Well, let's get a move on." He eyed Ed and held up a finger. "We have to be quiet."

She saluted him. "Hee. Quiet as a housey mousey! Come on, Ein." Ed coaxed the dog to her and strapped the computer back into him. In a moment, the machine was settled snug and bobbing with Ein's every step. "Shh, not a peep. We have to be sneaky like when we break into Faye's room."

Faye raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

Ed and Ein just grinned at her.

Shaking his head, Spike turned back to the task and studied the route over the rumbling pack. "Don't think I'm going to try Ed's suggestion of Tarzaning it. But if you wanna try it, Jet. You always said you liked to swing."

A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. "Uhhh, yeah, that's not what I meant." The silence stretched out with all of the crew eyeing the green shrouded branches. "Well … I suppose if I go first we know it'll hold any of you. I am the heaviest."

Just as he was about to step up, Ed jumped out the window and somersaulted up into a handspring. To her credit, she didn't release her jubilant cry as usual. In a blur of light brown fur, Ein joined her romping across the expanse with his butt in full wiggle. They watched as she vaulted in through the broken window on the other side. A second later, Ein scrambled over the edge and vanished into the leaves.

Jet heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he edged out onto the branch. Arms wide, he rocked back and forth, pinwheeling each step of the way. Below the pachycephalosaurs cracked their skulls together in a self absorbed mass. They hadn't seen a thing. Halfway across, Jet allowed himself a grin. He had this in the bag.

The whistle of wind through metallic feathers turned all their heads. A half dozen archeopteryx glided through the trees. Their wing claws caught branches and in a strange, sling shot action, they hung like bats surrounding Jet. Beady eyes studied him, turning on their thin necks. Feathers in reds and blues rose up in arrogant crests.

"Uhhh … " Jet attempted to duck beneath the one blocking his path.

Snap!

Sharp serrated teeth scraped across his bald head. He howled and threw himself flat on the make-shift bridge, hands over his bleeding head. A second later, the squabbling flock descended all around him. The small, birdlike dinosaurs clamped on eachother's wings, crimping and tearing out metal feathers in an uproarious mass brawl.

Spike shot Faye a glare. "Small. Not much damage. You really are a great judge of character!"

"Well, excuse me!"

Grabbing his gun, Spike aimed for the wing joint of one of the air born creatures. The bullet slammed into the fragile joint. Metal feather bits and tiny gears popped out of the hole. The archeopteryx dropped in a panicked spiral. Its alarmed squeals drew the furious flock from the branches. At the same time, the ruckus of cannibalistic behavior drove the pachycephalosaurs into a stomping frenzy.

Not taking any chances on this distraction being short-lived, Spike darted across the branch and hauled Jet to his feet. "Get the lead out, buddy!" They stumbled across the slick, groaning branches. Jet blinded by the blood trickling between his fingers. Behind them, Faye crossed on her hands and knees, her eyes widened as she took in the carnage below. Gears and springs flew in various directions. Hydraulic fluid bled onto the leaves in thick torrents.

Joining the others in safety, she stared back over the edge at the frenzy. "Damn! Would you look at that."

Spike glanced over his shoulder, all he could spare as he mopped up blood oozing from Jet's lacerated scalp. "Faye, you ever fall asleep on watch again and I'll drop kick your ass into the nearest pack I can find."

She was about reply when she realized that she didn't see Ed and Ein. The hallway they'd landed in had several doors. Faye began the process of testing them all to see where the adventurous duo had gone.

Jet stared at the blood on his fingertips. "They didn't appear that dangerous. But ooow! How bad is it?"

"Head cuts always bleed more … but that little prick got you pretty good. Hold still … Sheesh, now who's the baby? Knock it off!"

Once Spike could remove his hand and the blood didn't well back, he sat on his heels and heaved a sigh. "There. You'll live."

"Uhh, Spike … " Jet glanced around the deserted hall. "Where are the girls?"

Palming his face, Spike grumbled.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	3. Session 3

_**Session 3**_

Spike wandered down the sunlight speckled hall peering into each half open door. He and Jet, having no clue which way the girls had gone, opted to split up. By now he had rounded the curve of the hall enough that Jet was no longer visible.

The whole place remained locked in eerie silence. Between the encroaching vines he glimpsed slashes of bright color, snippets of writing, but none of it whole enough to read. Riddled by the effects of the constant humidity, this area of the building hadn't fared well. Even the doors bubbled with moisture hung from rusted hinges. Inside each room he narrowed his eyes against the darkness trying to make out what was beyond. Much of it appeared to be weather-beaten offices. No sign of Faye. No Ed nor Ein. Just intrusive vines creeping along every surface.

At least he was alone. No electrical buzz filled the air. Nor the flicker of an LED between plating. That was one blessing. The damn … what had Ed called them? … dino-thingies, at least they couldn't easily hide in the dark. Not that that seemed a blessing. They were fast, and clearly aggressive devices. Worse than Ein on bath day!

Opening a door wider he spied a bit of movement. Faye turned from a panel, her gun in her loose grip.

"There you are." He pointed out into the hall. "You know, we're supposed to be a team here."

She placed her hand on her hip. "Well, why don't you tell Ed and Ein to stay put. I was looking for them. Check this out. There's an intermittent flicker on this panel."

With a shake of his head, Spike crossed the distance to her side. "Don't touch anything. We don't know what's stable and what—"

The floor groaned and without anymore warning opened up, dumping them into the room below in a cloud of mossy green debris. Wires hung from the ceiling still attached to sheets of swinging metal. Faye and Spike landed with limbs akimbo in the wreckage. Through the faint fingers of light stretching down through the hole Faye glared at him. "You were going to say _what's not_. Weren't you! Way to go, Spike."

Shoving a panel out of the way so he could get up, he grunted. "You entered the room first."

"Don't blame me for this. Anytime something bad happens it's always my fault!"

He held up his hand. "That's not how I remember this part. Stop the long and suffering act. Now come on, we have to find the damn door."

"It's too dark in here. We don't have any flashlights." Faye cast her gaze over the dim room. Grayish outlines barely broke the darkness.

Taking out his lighter, Spike flicked it and the tiny flame barely cut through the shroud. "Shit, well, that was worth a shot."

In the corner against the wall something moved with a mechanical grind. Spike turned, the flame caught a looming purple blob of a dinosaur with a permanent cheezy toothless grin plastered on its face. Instinct kicked in. He marked the location, dropped the lighter and whipped out his gun in tandem with Faye as the thing began to sing off-key, "I adore you. You adore me. We're a household un-it-y. With—"

Spike's shot pegged the monstrosity right between the googly eyes and sent it careening backwards with flailing arms through the wall. Beside him, Faye squeezed off three torso-smacking shots before her gun jammed. Despite this, the wide-eyed Faye continued to pump the trigger even as the kicking feet of the creature free-fell out of the new hole in the wall. A thick purple tail stuck straight up before vanishing. A full second passed before a crash echoed from the story below.

Still pumping the trigger, Faye hyperventilated. Spike holstered his gun and reached over, prying her fingers from hers. "Easy there, Hotshot. You know she won't fire when she's jammed."

She didn't laugh. Her eyes kept staring forward like a deer in headlights. Her lips moved without words leaving them. She trembled, her knees giving out beneath her.

Spike caught her, sinking down to the floor in a controlled fall. She clung to him, her stare still blind. " … in my head … in my head … get it out … like … like Brain Scratch … in my head … get it out … get it out ... "

That explained it. He let her dig her nails into his shirt, practically pulling the collar into the back of his neck until he swore the seams would tear. She panted every breath, huddled into him like a small child frightened of the monster in the dark. True, they were in the dark and had no clue if something else was going to leap out and sing them into madness. There wasn't much Spike could do to remedy this situation until Faye could bring herself out of the crazed stupor. Well, except maybe …

He cracked a grin and started to softly sing, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall … " By the time he reached seventy-eight Faye's breathing had returned to some semblance of normal.

She brushed the tears from her eyes and hiccuped. "Shut up, Spike. And if … if you tell anyone … anyone about this I'll … I'll … "

"Fill me full of lead like our tone-deaf target?"

She nodded, still clinging to him. He didn't even move yet, just let her get her bearings again. "I wasn't afraid."

"Mmm hmm." He rubbed her back gently. "Just like I'm not afraid anything in the universe and all the other useless self-deceptions. Relax Faye. It's not a big deal to react … well, so long as you don't shoot a crew member. With your aim, not likely."

She glared up at him, but it only lasted a minute before she trembled again and nestled back into his embrace.

"It tried to brain wash me … I felt it, in there … the words washing my brain."

"First off, that thing has to have enough brains to be able to do that. I don't think it had any brains to speak of. You're being ridiculous, Faye."

She sniffled into his armpit and wrinkled her nose. "Spike, you seriously need a shower."

He laughed and rested his chin on her head. "You're no bouquet of roses yourself."

Her fist thumped his chest, but there was little force behind it. They sat in silence for several minutes before she finally withdrew, wiping her eyes.

Spike eyed her. "You got it together now?" When she glared at him, he shrugged. "I wasn't being mean, I was serious. Whatever the heck that thing was rattled you. Before we check out its robotic corpse, I wanna make sure you got enough sense not to waste more ammo."

Climbing to her feet she dusted herself off. "I'm fine now. I mean, don't mention this to anyone."

He handed her gun back and crossed the floor to the hole. His jaw dropped. Faye joined him and stared into a huge atrium dappled in sunlight sprawling a story below them. Cables ran down from the hole. This inner area hadn't been hit as hard by the moisture, but vines still crawled around the edges. Leaves dried to crisps on the floor. The corpse of the purple dinosaur lay in a twisted, smoldering heap.

Spike pointed to broad letters in cheery script spelling out a message in multi-languages: _Welcome to Earth Before Time._ He groaned, "I really hate amusement parks."

Faye snorted, "Nothing amusing about this place. Come on, let's get down there." She grabbed the cables and slid down. The first thing she did was kick the head of the dino-corpse, it protested with a final gear grinding death throw.

It was awkward, but Spike managed to grab with his right hand while hugging the cable with his left arm. They'd landed on the main floor and glanced at the broken glass windows of displays. Toy models lay everywhere on the floor, hundreds of species.

Picking up a model of a four legged armor plated dinosaur with a club tail, Faye asked, "How many of these do you think are out there?"

"Do I look like I'd have a clue about that? Yesterday I didn't know anything about … dino-things."

"Saurs."

"Yeah, I am a bit sore after punching one." He crossed to a door, fighting with the rusted hinges.

Faye sighed and pitched the toy. "Never mind. How long ago do you think this place was abandoned?"

Staring through the open door, Spike swallowed. "Ohh … I'd say it's been quite a bit."

Faye's shadow fell into the room over the pile of crushed bones. The marks of teeth and claws raked over countless skeletons blanketed in moss among the rotting auditorium seats. No sign of any flesh remained. She placed a hand over her mouth.

Spike flatly remarked, "You fall asleep on watch again it might be the last thing you do."

"Don't worry." She hugged herself. "I won't be sleeping again for a few weeks."

Shaking it off, Spike turned from the room. "Well, our run in with tone deaf here gave us one shred of hope. There must be an electrical source somewhere in this place or he wouldn't have yapped at us. So, maybe there is water somewhere too."

An eerie squeal crescendoed. Spike and Faye spun toward the far wall. What appeared to be a speckled green wall creaked, the metal stripping at the bottom edge began to bow.

Spike had just enough time to yell, "Oh shit!" before the wall of water from the story tall observation tank released the torrent. They were swept off their feet and slammed against the wall, water drained past them into the auditorium. Bones washed out in the eddies. The rusted heap of an immense long necked dinosaur with four flippers settled in the middle of the room on its side, clearly what the tank had been meant to display.

Faye spat out water and fixed her headband. "Happy? There's your water."

Sopping wet and draped in strands of algae, Spike climbed to his feet and nearly lost his balance on the slick floor. He stomped in the standing water. "I-hate-amusement-parks!"

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	4. Session 4

_**Session 4**_

Jet climbed over a tree branch that speared the outer wall and half blocked the hallway. Rays of sunlight illuminated bare footprints on the grimy floor. More specifically he followed steady paw prints. Ein followed that girl everywhere. He grumbled to himself about the tight spaces picturing the acrobatic girl swinging in-between the debris. Wiping sweat from his forehead he was glad he didn't have long sleeves on. He longed for the climate control of the _Bebop_. Before he could go back there he now had to find the rest of his crew.

 _How typical, what a mess._ His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, thirst killing him. _When I find those two I'm going put both of them on leashes._

At last he came to a half open door. The prints went in, but didn't come out.

A shriek carried through the window. Jet spun around with his gun wielded and faced the moister-riddled glass. One of the bright feathered archeopteryx spread its wings, peering beady eyes at him. A moment later another landed. Then another.

Jet took a nervous step back. The savage stares of the tiny dinosaurs set his scalp throbbing. "Not again." The glass separated them at least. Not turning his back, he stepped into the room bathed in a soft, flickering light. An effected voice pattered on, something about the consonants came out wrong, rather like someone trying to speak baby talk in a language foreign to them. He turned to find Ed and Ein seated in front of a large projection screen, enthralled with the image of a large purple … was that supposed to be a dinosaur? He squinted. It sort of looked like one, maybe all bloated up by an allergic reaction to something. But it looked … just … disturbingly wrong.

Ed grinned into the flicker images, rocking back and forth as the thing on the screen spoke.

" … that's right, boys and girls. Reptiles are lazy in the cold. They need lots of warmth from the sunny sun sun or they won't get up in the morning. Hehe. However, in this park the extra-duper-super smarties who made us for your safe entertainment … "

Jet lowered his gun. "Entertainment? Park?" He glanced around the class room lined with tables and what looked like mock-ups of bone embedded in stones, nests with eggs as large as his head, diagrams of cute looking dinosaurs grinning hung on the walls. "Who the hell would build something like this?"

With a cat-hiss, Ed turned to him. "Shh! Ed is watching." In a split second her eyes returned to the screen and she clapped her hands along with the ridiculous sing-song.

Ein padded over to Jet, the computer wobbling back and forth on his back. He pawed and whined at Jet's ankles.

Bending over, Jet discovered the computer strap was a bit loose. He tugged it tight. "There you go, boy. Now, you and me gotta come to terms here. No more wandering off. This place isn't very safe."

Ein yapped back, that earned the corgi a hiss from Ed. His ears shot back.

On the screen, the voice yammered on. " … as the mascot of this doodleyum place it's my job to introduce you to all my funtastic friends. When you go downstairs don't forget to stop by the duper-super special tank and shake flippers with my friend the elasmosaurus. Way way back in time he swam through the seas and snapped up lots of proto-fish in his jaws. But he won't bite you. Nope. That's because the duper-super smarties in the labs that made him told him and all my other doodleyum pals that biting people was a no no. So don't be scared, just look for pillars with the big hand print like mine for information on my buddies. And always remember the dinosaur song. I adore you. You adore me. We're a household un-it-y. With a friendly smile and a hidey how you do? Loving people's all we knew. Have fun and buh-bye boys and girls!" The screen turned black.

Jet cringed as the song lodged itself in his head. "Ok, whoever wrote this shit was either a moron or an evil sicko." He walked over to Ed and picked her up, she flailed, screaming in protest. "Knock it off. You watched all there is. Clearly there is power in this place. So we might be able to find water."

Hanging limp from her shirt, Ed cocked her head and pointed over to a large machine lined with bottles. "You mean like that?"

Jet set her on the floor and darted to the dark glass. The power was off, the surface room temp. But inside the bottles seemed to have been protected from the elements. He glanced behind and the device was plugged into the wall. The buttons did nothing, no matter how hard he punched them. "Well, this is odd."

Swinging from an exposed pipe in the ceiling, Ed chanted, "Power on in some, nothing sent to some. Breaker breaker, broken. No juice. Weee!"

He huffed a breath, she was right but did she have to sing it so cheerily? Now that damn dinosaur's song paraded through his mind driving him nuts. There were no other outlets close enough to the machine. So getting power to it wasn't going to work. He bent down and pushed his hand up and into the dispensary. His hand appeared on the other side of the glass—inches from the life saving fluids. "Damn it!"

The door gripped his arm. Stuck. Jet jerked against the pressure of the door. The more he moved, the more the spring placed pressure on his arm. "Uh oh."

Ein padded up sniffed at the opening. He turned his butt toward the machine and gave the door a solid kick.

The pressure abandoned Jet's arm for the split second he needed to get his arm loose. He heaved a sigh. "Ok, well … that's not gonna work." He ran his fingers over the glass. A slow smile emerged.

Taking out his gun, he backed up a step and pulled the trigger. Pa-ting! Forced to duck, Jet stared at the small dent surrounded by spider webbing.

"Whaaat? They used bullet proof glass on a vending machine?"

Ein's ears twisted around. He stared up at Jet's left hand. When it was clear the message wasn't getting through he stuck his nose in the palm and wriggled it around.

Jet pulled his hand up. "Ein, what are you … oh." He stared at the fist and shrugged. "Let's try something bigger."

He hauled off and put all his weight into the blow. The glass resisted his impact, but under the unrelenting force it let his fist through. He grabbed onto one the bottles and pulled it out. Holding it in the air, he cheered. "We're gonna live now! We just gotta find Spike and Faye."

A tremendous crash sounded below them, shaking the building. An irate voice followed, "I-hate-amusement-parks!"

Ed bounded over to a cracked windowpane and stared three stories down. "Hey! Look Spike-person and Faye-Faye!"

He joined her at the window. The floor below shimmered in the sunbeams cutting through the moss covered glass dome of the atrium. In the center of the mess, an immense flippered dinosaur with a long neck lay in a rusted heap at the feet of two very wet ship-mates, both draped in strands of green algae. Spike seethed, stomping his feet and leaving a series of sporadic ripples that lapped against the scatter of bones. Grimly, Jet noted those were all human.

He pushed the windowpane out of the seating and let it fall, in no danger of hitting the others across the atrium. The crash caught their attention, Spike and Fay stared up at him. "How'd you get down there?"

Spike cupped a hand and shouted, "Long story." His voice echoed in the large atrium.

"Well, you're going the wrong direction. Now get back up here. Remember, we wanted to get to that tower."

"Yeah yeah. We're working on it. This place is a maze."

Jet glanced as Ed picked Ein up off the floor and held him up in a ray of light. His paws wriggled in the air. "Hold still, Ein. Need to charge." A tone sounded, low at first and gradually increasing in pitch until it chimed cheerily. She set Ein back down and grinned. "There we go. All juiced up."

Jet shook his head and held up the bottle so Spike could see it. "I found what we were looking for. It's not cold. But should still be drinkable."

"Good!"

Faye shouted up, "Anything with alcohol?"

Jet laughed. "Not here. Looks like this was a kid's classroom."

"This place was for kids?"

Spike folded his arms, "Great place for a vacation. Come to a weird ass fake jungle that would take a fortune to establish on an asteroid and become chew toys for artificial life. Sounds like a great time."

Jet waved a hand. "Just get up here so we can find a way back to the ship."

"Hey Faye, you see stairs around here?"

"No, but I see a huge empty water tank with a lot of debris covering its roof. Ick. Water should not be green. Looks like this used to have a skylight."

From above, Jet remarked, "I'll see if I can find something we can carry the bottles in." The moment he turned from them a low tone began an ominous steady climb. He glanced back into the atrium, cocking an eyebrow. The sound came from in there, echoing in the enclosure. Spike and Faye glanced around, clearly unable to tell the source.

Spike scratched his head. "We heard that earlier this morning … what the hell … ?"

Slowly, Jet turned and stared at Ed sitting before her computer. He'd just heard that same sound. His heart rammed against his ribs. He leaned out the window and yelled, "Get out of there!"

Their blank stares met his from three stories below as the crescendo reached its climax. From Jet's perspective he stared as a light on the elasmosaurus's body changed from amber to green. A second later, its eyes slammed open.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	5. Session 5

_**Session 5**_

"Get out of here?" Faye arched an eyebrow. "Seriously Jet, where the hell do you want us to go? We can't fly up to you."

One second later the scream of gears deafened them. Spike and Faye rammed their hands over their ears. However, their vision was not affected. They stared in horror as the be-toothed mouth of the monstrous elasmosaurus lifted off the floor and loomed over them. Two mechanical eyes whined as they focused on the two figures standing out in the open from a neck that held the head almost at the pinnacle of atrium's glass dome.

Spike lowered his hands slowly, broadening his stance as he stole glances around the room looking for anywhere to dart, preferably the stairs.

"Quick! Get out of there!" Jet bellowed.

The dinosaur slowly turned its head, rusty gears screeching all the way. Locked on Jet through the glassless window it arched its head back and a slow growl escaped it.

Faye and Spike tensed before he shouted, "Shut up, you idiot!"

The elasmosaur turned back to him. Spike gulped as Faye elbowed him. "Way to go, Lunkhead. Now it remembered we were here."

"I hadn't thought about that," he hissed back while watching the immense creature processing its options. This didn't look good. "Faye … get ready."

"Ready for what, a staring contest? I think blinky wins."

The beast's head hovered like a snake. Well, like a snake who had flippers, flippers and had swallowed a large creature whole. At least that's what it looked like to Spike.

"His eyes aren't what I'm worried about." Spike took a deep breath. "It's meeting with those teeth of his."

"Hey Spike, do you think she can smell us?"

"How do you know it's a girl?" He glanced at her.

Faye flicked a hand. "You can't see it? If she had hips her hand would be on it. That is classic female attitude. I'm surprised you can't see it."

He scoffed. "That's cause I'm more interested in staying alive then playing 'what arbitrary sex is a robotic dinosaur' who's about to eat us."

They paused and both turned back to the elasmosaur. The thing hadn't moved. Spike took a step forward, narrowing his eyes. "What the heck. Did it lock up?"

A shrill cry echoed from off to the right shoulder of the elasmosaurus. A glimmer of reddish metallic feathers caught the light as a crippled archeopteryx with parts of its eye hanging out dragged itself across the floor leaking fluids. The elasmosaur studied it, turning its head this way and that. The small bird-like dinosaur stared up and made a pathetic peeping sound.

CRUNCH! In one swift move the crushing jaws went from three stories up to buried into the floor. Parts of the archeopteryx went flying, the head spun in front of Spike and Faye. Their jaws hung open. The gears ground once more as the elasmosaur lifted its head back up to the full three stories and once more fixated on them.

"Oh. Shit." Faye whispered.

Spike swallowed.

The beast's mouth began to open.

Not taking any chance, Spike darted the other direction for the auditorium leaping over the scattered bones in his path. Right behind him, Faye ran well aware her life depended on it. Truth is, it did. The sweep of a clumsy flipper attempted to cut her off, she managed to squeeze past it. The wall behind her shook and crumbled on impact. The thick tail swept toward the open doors, thumping down and sweeping their way.

Spike vaulted over it, landing in a sloppy somersault. Faye didn't follow. The tail's impact sent her rolling on the floor. No one was safe. Still in the open, Spike realized that the tail would smash him if it came backward. Left with nowhere to run, Faye remained trapped between a fin and the thick tail. The flailing beast's mouth opened in a screech.

"Faye!" Spike could only scream at her.

Glaring up at the beast, Faye pulled out her gun and aimed straight up at one of its eyes. "Stop whining, you prehistoric pinhead!"

BANG! Ping!

Sparks exploded from the eye. The elasmosaur reared back, screaming in rage, all four flippers and its tail lashed the floor at random. Spike and Faye were forced to duck and jump the destructive blows. Breathless, neither even attempted a remark. Rusted plates, gears and springs flew everywhere bouncing off the walls.

At last, they threw themselves into the darkened auditorium and slammed the doors shut leaning against them as the limbs of the irate monster beat against it like a drum.

At last, still panting, Faye glanced at Spike. "What's the plan?"

"Besides not dying?" He rasped, "Not a clue." He squinted, taking advantage of his synthetic eye's ability to see in lower light. Rows after rows of rotting chairs lined the large room with a stage at the end. A full screen hung in tatters, shredded by claws some time ago. A faint outline of a door by the screen caught his attention. "There. Probably a fire door or something. Might lead of out of here."

There may have been an exit sign up there, but it wasn't lit. In the atrium the battering continued with an irregular cadence. Faye rubbed her ears. "You don't have to ask me twice. Anything to get away from thumper. Sure woke up cranky."

Spike snorted as his footsteps squelched on the carpet. "So like a female."

"No, like a cranky-ass male."

"Oh," he raised an eyebrow, "so now that's a guy? Earlier you said it was a girl."

"I did not, Spike. You just don't like—ewww what the heck?" She stopped and lifted her foot from a particularly goopy mess.

Spike flicked his light out and the tiny flame cast a small sphere into light. Red glistened on Faye's white shoe. She stood in a puddle of fresh blood. Spike shifted the lighter up and it threw into contrast the insides of a torso. No head, no arms or legs … just the cracked open chest cavity.

"Who do you think … "

Carefully, Spike edged the shredded shirt back with his broken hand. A tattoo. The star that marked their bounty head. He sat back on his heels. "Well, that blew that. Unless you think the ISSP would take him with some assembly required."

Faye scratched her head. "Where do you think the rest of him is?"

About to reply, Spike stiffened. The room filled with a chorus of gear whining. His lighter flame reflected on the lenses of well over a dozen tiny bi-pedal dinosaurs. Some perched on the backs of the chairs, others peered around them. They cocked their heads. In the dim light Spike picked out stripes running down their sides onto their long tails. They were small and thinly built with tight metallic plumage in muted greens and browns. Compsognathus, but that was not a term Spike or Faye had knowledge of.

"Spike … do you think … "

The one closest to the dead bounty stabbed its taloned foot into the corpse with a solid thwack. It drove its head into a hole in the chest and tore out a juicy bit of some organ before Spike closed the lighter. "Got your answer, Faye? Wanna ask them anything else? Maybe the meaning of life?"

"Sure … can they move and let us out of here? Cause I don't like the idea of negotiations with thumper."

The compsognathus on a chair closest to her hissed and clacked its teeth.

Spike chuckled nervously. "Looks like they want us to stay for dinner."

"I uhh … I think I might be a vegetarian now!"

"Doesn't look like they're gonna take no for an answer." He pulled out his gun. "Well, we can't be poor guests. Hope they like lead!"

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	6. Session 6

_**Session 6**_

Jet clung to the sill of the broken window, his heart thundered in his chest. He swore he could still hear the sound of the doors slamming shut echoing. But in truth, that was just the thrashing of the huge elasmosaur. Its long neck curved up and slammed down in futile attempts to catch what remained of the archeopteryx. Gears and springs from the dismantled creature scattered across the floor and every brush of the giant beast's flippers sent more flying. It was an endless cycle of destruction.

From his perspective, behind the doors Spike and Faye remained in a Schrodinger's box. In Jet's mind they were in two states at once: perfectly fine and perfectly deceased. The only thing that kept him from dashing down into the room was one very pissed off and aggressive aquatic dinosaur of doom.

Ed rested her chin on her folded arms beside him. "Oooo la la. He's madder than showering Faye-Faye when Spike-person turns off the hot water."

Jet blinked. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. There were no words. For all he knew the two of them could be dead. How could Ed … oh yes, this was Ed after all. He groaned and leaned forward.

Claws tapped across the floor, Ein popped up and gazed down into the roiling mess below. He cocked his head back and forth, huge ears turning as he took it all in.

"Maybe the dino has a tummy ache." Ed patted her belly. "Remember when Faye-Faye ate the bad food? Grouchy ouchy! Run away from Faye!"

"That doesn't make sense." Jet snapped. "It's a machine. They don't have emotions!"

"MPU does."

"Who?"

"MPU." Ed pointed to the computer still strapped to Ein's back. "Satellite friend. Remember when Spike-person nearly got lasered out of sky by the attack satellites? Pew pew! Pew!"

Jet palmed his face. "Seriously Ed, we need to figure out how to get Spike and Faye out of there. Unless your electronic buddy has some super genius plan, I don't need to hear about him."

She shrugged. "Well, we can ask him if he gots a plan."

"I don't think carvings are going to be a good distraction."

"Of course not, silly. That was just bored entertainment. Interspacial carve by number. MPU can do other things."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Like what."

"Like—" Ed's words cut short as Ein scrambled up over the ledge, his fluffy butt vanished as he dropped out of view.

Jet leaped toward the dog, his hand closed on strands of fur. A moment later the head of the elasmosaur shot into the center of the aviary. The small corgi, complete with onboard computer, slid down the slime-encrusted neck of the beast. Of course the elasmosaur was less thrilled, he arched around trying to search out the brazen fuzzy clinging beast.

It was to no avail. The moment that Ein landed on the back of the dinosaur's neck, he slipped down the side and rode the flipper to the floor. Once his claws hit tiles, Ein scampered around the thrashing creatures attempts to stop him and made straight for a small hole in the wall into the auditorium. He folded his head back to the frantic shouts above.

Too much time had already passed. It was time to take things into his own paws. And if Ein was right, he could solve this little dilemma in a flick of his tail … errr rump. _What is it with humans and standing around flapping their yaps?_

Inside the darkened auditorium his eyes adjusted almost immediately. A fair distance down the row he glimpsed the familiar outlines of Spike and Faye back to back with their guns out. In the musty air that reeked of oil and hydraulic fluids the clicking of the dozens of chicken-sized compsognathus gathered. They were everywhere, far too many to shoot out lingered in the darkness. Ein somehow doubted that the humans with their poor low-light vision grasped how screwed they were.

Ein snuffed. Typical of his companions. _Always eyeball deep in shit and making it ten times the worse._ Kinda like the first time he'd met Spike. Now that was the most fun Ein'd had in ages—leading that foolish human in circles. That's why he stuck around. The entertainment value. So easy to get that Spike riled up. It wasn't the food. Ick, no. Not since Faye kept eating his rations. _Really, what is it with humans?_

The clicking of one of the compsognathus increased in frequency, rather like a ticking time bomb. The others began to echo it.

 _Oh yeah, they're in trouble._

Ein dashed through the crowd of mini-dinosaurs, startling them. They shifted away for a moment, cyber-eyes wide. Within a moment, Ein slid between Spike's wide stance and lept up onto the back of the chair. His eyes met the stare of the boldest clicking compy. The beast with the highest head set opened its jaws and hissed. The leader.

Ein's ears lifted higher onto his head, and in a series of micro motions began to flag out a cycle. The click of his ear cartilage could hardly be heard by the human ear. But the pattern, the code cut through in tiny vibrations. Segment by segment it fed into the machine before him, spread like a virus into the pack surrounding them. Slowly, the creatures sank down, head below the conquering corgi height. The pack's eyes half closed into dull stares as their fore-limbs touched the ground. Hack complete.

 _That's right, blinky. Bow to the power of the datadog. There'll be no chewing up my meal-tickets, thank you very much._

"Spike am I … ?"

"Don't ask me. I'm not doing a damn … Ein? What the hell are you doing here?"

 _Saving your worthless asses. Besides, if they eat you, who am I going to get to throw my squeaky toy? Oh yeah, can't wait to get back to the ship so you can find where I hid it last. Hehe!_

"I have no idea what got into them." Spike cleared his throat. "Well, this is great and all, but uh … we still have a rather large problem outside that door."

As if it heard him, the elasmosaur struck the wall. A shower of dust rained down.

Ein opened his mouth in a panting smile. _Oh come on. You think I didn't calculate for that? You forget who you're dealing with, Cowboy. I am the master Cow-woof-woof!_

In a few flicks of his ears the code transferred. The leader of the compy pack shot his head up and screamed out a war cry. He took off toward the door. The fierce pack funneled past Spike and Faye nearly tripping them in the runaway current. The small bodies of the creatures slammed against the doors.

Once. Twice. On the third time the doors rattled and opened. Tiny claws wrenched the gap open and a flood compsognathus raged into the aviary on a suicidal tangent right into the path of a startled elasmosaur.

At the door Spike and Faye stared up into the waterfall of raining robot compy parts, too numerous to count, as their mess of claws tore panels from the thrashing monster. Hoard met megabeast in a mass melee.

At Spike's feet, Ein grinned at the red hydraulic fluid seeping onto the floor. The result of his sweet sweet carnage. _Told ya, I am the master Cow-woof-woof! Now you remember this next time you get out the those yummy Earth treats._

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	7. Session 7

**_Session 7_**

Spike and Faye gaped up at the flow of red fluid dripping from the jaws of the elasmosaur. Clinging to his neck, numerous compy's clawed and ripped. Panels and components clattered across the floor. The sound rattled Spike out of his stupor. Around the thrashing beast the logo on a door across the floor caught his attention.

Stairs!

With his injured hand he tried to grasp Faye's shoulder. Instead, he hissed and gripped it with his good hand. Ein cocked his head up at him.

Faye threw Spike a smirk. "What is the problem, Lunkhead?"

He pointed with his chin. "Look that way."

"Sta—!"

Spike clamped his right hand over her mouth. "Shhh! We still have to get around those aggressive bastards!"

Out in the middle of the floor the compys continued their efforts to scale and dominate the mega-seabeast. Several of the little creatures were close to the head. Their tiny brazen eyes flickering with a lubricant-lust. On the floor, the leader clicked and chirruped, stamping his tiny little feet.

No one was focused on those with a pulse.

"We can make it if we stay quiet." Spike edged out from the doorway and hugged the wall. A moment later Faye joined him, palms against the grimy surface. Ein snuffed and flicked his ears, trotting along with the computer bobbing back and forth on his back.

The flailing body of a compy hit the wall between Spike and Faye with a splatter of hydraulic fluid. It's head lolled back, mouth open wide as it slid down to the floor in a smoking heap. Faye stared down at the body with wide eyes. Ein pushed his nose into the twisted mass of gears and wires. After a moment's search, he wrenched the head off and clamped it firmly in his jaws. He glanced up at Spike. When he didn't move, Ein exhaled from his nose and casually took the lead, trotting to the stairwell door. He pawed at it.

Faye shrugged. "The mutt likes chicken. Maybe he likes robot chickens, too. Those things are close enough."

Rolling his eyes, Spike grumbled, "Come on." He opened the door and darted into the darkened stairwell.

A tremendous groaning crash echoed from behind. A cloud of dust and debris billowed in through the open door. Then … silence.

They held their breaths. Neither even considered a sarcastic remark.

Ein tossed the compy head in his mouth and got a better grip. He romped up to the first stair landing and cocked his head.

Shadows grew in the dust. Clattering filled the corridor.

Spike grabbed his gun, narrowing his eyes. "These things sure are programmed to be persistent little shits!"

In a whur of gears half a dozen compys, including the leader, dashed into the stairwell and up the first few steps. They came to a halt in their diminutive pack at Spike and Faye's feet staring up at the top of the stairs with their blinking eyes gleaming in the darkened corridor.

 _Chirrup!_ The leader called, answered by the others in chorus.

Ein huffed around the head of the compy and turned to mount the rest of the stairs. In a flock the compys followed him, filing right past Spike and Faye. They looked at eachother and shrugged. Following behind they noted if Ein hesitated, they slowed. If he went faster, so did they.

"You don't think that … " Spike muttered as they started the flight to the third story.

"That the mongrel is controlling them?" Faye tried to banish the hint of bewilderment from her voice, and failed. "That's … really not … possible. Is it?"

Wearily, Spike pushed open the door to the hall. The corgi and his flock of compys filed out like a gaggle of geese. Spike raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what to think anymore. I just want to find the others and get the hell out of here."

Faye pushed past him and stalked after the waggling rump of the corgi as Ein padded along down the curved hall playing twister through the vines and branches. Six compys paraded in a row directly behind him in various condition.

At last, Ein thumped through an open door and vanished with his entourage. Spike and Faye climbed through the branches and rounded the doorway just in time to hear Ed enthusiastically scream "Ein!" There was the little dog being helicoptered in the air. She slowed the moment she noted the chicken-sized creatures surrounding her. "Oh, Ein brought friends? Hullo Cow-woof-woof friends." The moment Ein landed on the floor, he spat the head out and nosed it toward Ed. She leaned over and stuck a finger in her mouth staring at it.

Jet rammed his way across the room, worry in his eyes. "You guys alright?"

Spike nodded and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "More or less. Hey, you got something to drink? I'm seriously parched here."

He nodded and took a couple of bottles from the open machine, handing them over. All the while he gave the new additions a wide berth. The machines seemed docile enough. They were even tending to one another. He stared in amazement as one stuck its snout into an open panel and started to push around the frayed wiring, appearing to be fixing connections. "Am I really seeing this?"

Faye lowered the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Don't ask. We saw but don't get it either."

"One minute they were about to attack us." Spike lifted a shoulder. "The next minute they just stopped, turned on their tails, and attacked Thumper out there. Apparently they took him out." He wandered to the windowsill and stared down at the motionless machine lying a pool of pinkish-red fluid. Parts lay everywhere on the floor. The mouth of the megabeast lay open in a silent fatal scream.

Jet folded his arms beside him. "Strength in numbers, Pard. Don't get a more to the point example than that."

Faye raised one eyebrow. "Damn. That could have been us."

"Nope." Spike took a long draw, emptying the bottle. Calmly he continued, "We would have been more shredded."

Faye shuddered.

Averting his eyes, Spike gazed up at the tower encased in vines. "We've avoided becoming diced cowboys. So how about we get up there and find a way back to the ship? Get out of this un-amusement park."

Jet grabbed a long swatch of fabric and twisted it into knots, making a sling bag. He stuffed it full of the bottles.

One the floor, Ein panted and smiled at the compys surrounding him. The robot dinosaurs chirruped contently, flicking glances at the dog. Ed turned the dismembered head over and over in her hands, probing with curious fingers. "Nyah?"

"Right, let's get moving." Jet thumped toward the door.

"Wait … " Ed looked up to watch Faye's back leaving the now empty room. In a scramble, she tucked the head into her shirt and dashed after the crew following the clitter-clatter of little claws.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	8. Session 8

_**Session 8**_

The tower to the observation deck creaked and groaned with every step the crew of the _Bebop_ took. Vines didn't reach this high, having abandoned their ambitious climb just above the three story roof line. The four stories of the dilapidated tower remained devoid of any plant life, save for fine moss clinging to everything. Jet gingerly stepped on a stair more rust than metal. As much as he'd detested tripping over the clinging vines below, he wished they'd encroached this high as to provide some support for this winding staircase.

Light poked through holes of increasing size as they wound their way through the stretch open to the environment. From a distance it had been impossible to see the cause of the missing panels. Now the crew gazed at the claw marks that bent and sheered off hunks of metal. Flora debris piled on the stairs provided nests for some absent beasts.

Spike counted his blessings that they weren't at home at the moment. With luck the crew would get up to the top, scope out the path back to the ship, and be back down before anyone else happened on them.

Ein thumped up the stairs without a pause. Six compsognathus followed him like a gaggle of geese along with the chorus of cheery chirrups. To Spike's shock the one that had been mauled and moving in a jerking fashion now hopped along smoothly like the rest. The wires snipped and tucked, gears back in place. The protective armor plate still remained missing, and his metal feathers were bent. But somehow his pack had repaired him to working order.

The chirrups were not the only sound. On every step, stenciled onto the bubbling paint, names of dinosaurs in bright colors partially remained. In a sing-song voice Ed pronounced them, flailing her limbs and intermittently impersonating various species. Horns on her head for Triceratops. Claws racking the air for Raptors.

Faye clamped her hands over her ears. "Seriously? How many of these damn things did these wackos make?"

Ed spread her arms wide like a bird. "Quetzalcoatlus—neeeeeeooooorrrr!"

Pausing on the step, Jet glanced back at her. "Quetzalcoatl? Like the ancient feathered snake god of the Aztecs?"

Spike wrinkled his brow. "The what? Look, I know Earth had some funky things. But snakes don't have feathers, pard."

"You're real perceptive." Faye snorted. "Look at Ein's pals there and what do you see?"

He crossed his arms. "I see machines. And those are not snakes. Snakes don't have legs either."

One of the compys stood on the edge of the step and cocked its head down at them. It peeped a little chorus and flapped its tiny front limbs in display.

"See? Arms and legs. Not snake."

Faye glared at him. "Your jacket shouldn't be around your waist, Spike."

"Oh yeah?"

"It belongs in your mouth. As a gag!"

Up on the observation deck, Jet called out, "You guys gotta see this!"

In a flurry of feet they breached into the broad circular landing of the tower. Glass panes blocked the elements and provided a panoramic view. The entire broad valley carved into the terraformed asteroid stretched out on all sides. Clinging to the panels, they walked around the full area taking it all in. The compys padded along, too short to see, but they strained up on their legs as if they could.

Jungle coated hillsides poured down from the edges. Waterfalls cascaded down the farthest edge feeding a river, the force that cut the gorge they'd crossed. That gash spanned most of the area, visible by gaps in the canopy. Clearings were sparse. And everyone of them contained at least one herd. Hundreds of individual robotic dinosaurs shifted through the park—and this was merely the ones they could see. Heaven knew how many the trees concealed. Glints of metal and glass scattered along the valley provided proof this park was intended to be a huge entertainment center for thousands of guests. Which meant somewhere in the foliage it became the mass grave for many more than what they had found in the auditorium.

Far in the distance, they spied their ship a mere speck floating near the dock.

Faye set her hand on her hip. "Great. That's where we parked. Now how do we get there?"

Jet's gaze traced the breaks in the canopy from all angles. Always his eyes started hopeful. Always they faded as he reached a steep cliff into the ravine, a gathered herd of dangerous creatures, what appeared to be a swamp. "There had to be more than one bridge."

Faye pointed. "There's the one we crossed."

Leaning on the railing Spike inclined his chin. "Well, what's left of it."

"Maybe we can swing across."

Spike offered her a cold glare, tapping his right fingernails on the metal rail.

After a long tense pause she glanced down at his bandaged left hand and flinched. "Oh, well, we could have if someone didn't have a gimp hand."

He grumbled just under his breath, before remarking, "Seriously, there has to be more than one bridge. Even a lunatic who makes a canyon on an asteroid would have sense enough to make more than one bridge." Suddenly he pressed against the panel. "There!"

"Where?" Faye narrowed her eyes. "There's nothing across that. Just a couple of towers."

"Not towers." Jet murmured as he stepped closer. "Hah! It's a draw bridge! All we have to do is … " his enthusiasm faded.

Spike finished for him, flipping a hand up. "Cross a deadly swamp. Are those giant alligators in there?"

"No, I think they're log—" Jet didn't get to finish before one opened a toothy maw to engage in a thrashing match with another. His chest fell.

A speaker on the wall crackled to life with the disturbing child mocking voice of the purple dino-thing. Ed stood with her palm on the glowing dinosaur print. "Up above the doodleyum treetops the whole ancient land springs to life. You can see … " static continued with a few ear piercing squeals. " … the barracuda of the skies, rhamphorhynchus. If you are lucky ducky you'll see them zipping by."

With a scowl Faye folded her arms. "I really don't want to see something that's compared to a vicious fish. Thumper down there was close enough."

Spike rolled his eyes, but the flip of a diamond tipped tail caught his attention. He leaned closer to the pane and gazed down to see a small winged dino-robot with a whiplike tail ending in a shape like the diamond on a pack of cards. Not just one, but the wingtips of several of the beasts zipped by and vanished into the tower.

"Awww shit." Spike dashed to the tower's trapdoor and peered down. Beady eyes stared up at him. Rows of tiny needle teeth flashed in the sunlight. "They're back!" He slammed the door shut only to be greeted with an uproar from below. The compys hopped in a war dance.

"Looks like that's what's been tearing down the tower." Jet dove forward to add his weight to the door.

Faye edged toward the windows, her eyes wide. "I'm getting tired of this. First trapped down in the auditorium of horrors and now stuck in the tree house of teeth. I'm done going inside places. How are we getting down out of this?"

The speaker crackled on, " … only one was the ruler of the skies. With a wing span starting at eleven meters the great quetzalcoatlus. Watch him reign over the valley if you're lucky you'll get a close up view of his tum tum."

Spike grunted as the door thumped on the hinges, sweat beaded on his forehead.

Faye grabbed Ed's hand off the pad, silencing the speaker. "I've had enough of that crazy-ass dino-losers information."

"Ohhhh." Ed hung her head. "Ed likes to listen."

"The rest of us are trying not to run across these creatures. And I swear that that voice is a beacon, like Spike's luck."

"Hey!" He shook a fist, before slapping his hand back down on the shuddering trapdoor. "No you don't!"

Jet leaned all his weight on the door. "Seriously? I wanna know how they got that much power out of such small motors."

"Speaking of which, why don't we send Ein's buddies down there. Look at them, they're itching for another fight. Well, if robots itch."

Jet glanced at the stomping compys and pondered Spike's suggestion for a moment. The pressure against the door changed his mind. "No way to get them out there. We'll have to wait for those flying things to get tired."

"Or him." Ed plastered herself against the window.

The crew turned as the sunlight vanished from the window. Two immense wings blackened out the view. A creature with a huge sharp beak, rather like a gigantic web-winged heron on steroids swooped down beak first at the tower.

"Quetzalcoatlus!" Ed cheered and tossed her hands in the air.

Spike glared at Jet. "Say it."

"What?"

"I was right. That's no feathered snake!"

"Is that really import—" Jet's words vanished as the massive flying dino-robot slammed into the tower. Metal screamed with the impact of the largest Earth creature ever to gain flight, or at the least the representation of it. Its beak rammed through the nesting section of the rhamphorynchus. Below the trapdoor chaos exploded as the megasaur clamped the smaller ones on its path through the tower.

No longer one solid structure, the observation deck swayed. The crew jostled back and forth as the momentum rocked the structure beyond what it was designed to hold. The wings of the massive quetzalcoatlus sliced through it like bread, tossing it across its back. With it, the contents inside rolled like they were in a salad spinner.

Four humans, a data dog, and six robo-compys screamed in surprise as the world spun and any semblance of a floor dropped out from beneath them. The observation deck plummeted toward the ground rattling off the sloped roofline of the building and catapulting it out into the jungle.

At least the quetzalcoatlus didn't notice. He was too focused on tearing apart the barracudas of the sky.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	9. Session 9

_**Session 9**_

Silence. Save for the scrapes of tiny compy claws as the six pack skittered about the inside of the fallen tower laying askew at the end of a trail of wreckage. Their heads bobbed up and down as they observed the motionless figures strewn about the ruins. The walls of the proverbial tin-can were all that saved the crew from certain death. Daylight faded as time ticked on.

A muffled low moan disrupted the serenity. Spike opened his eyes to premature darkness. The air thick, and far too warm. Not to mention smelly. He inhaled and broke into a coughing fit. Fur filled his mouth. With his hand he reached up and groped for Ein's collar, finding it somewhere over his chest. Pulling the corgi's unconscious body off his face, he grimaced as he realized where the damn dog's butt had been.

"Pyyyeeeuuuu! Ack! Worse than when Jet cooked that spoiled mystery meat he'd found in the freeze." Setting Ein on the floor he prodded him. "Come on, wake up."

With a groany-yawn, Ein's eyes cracked open.

Spike jabbed him in the nose with a finger. "When we get back to the ship the first thing you're getting is a bath. You hear me you over-ripe Venus airfruit!"

Ein went cross-eyed at the finger and snuffed.

"Useless mutt." Spike pushed up to his feet, dusting himself off. Bruised, a few small cuts, but nothing serious. The compys studied him, eyes following his every motion from their perches. In the rubble, Spike climbed towards the nearest figure. Ed's feet stuck up in the air. He flicked them.

She giggled and kicked. After a moment she rolled over and opened her eyes. A dark blue goose-egg bloomed in the middle of her forehead. "Hehe! Scramble, ramble, rolly by. Bebop crew go tumbling fly! Weeee!"

Spike shook his head and moved on. "You're obviously fine."

Sure enough she popped up and started to cartwheel over the debris landing in front of Ein with a big grin. Ein's butt wagged furiously as he licked her giggling face. When he stopped, she looked past him and shrieked, "Oh hey! Look!" Her hands dug out the head of the compy, now a bit more smashed up. The skull cracked open near where the temples would be. Ed's fingers dug into the panels, pulling it apart as she began to hum the purple dinosaur's melody.

Grunting as he climbed through a tight space, Spike reached down in between two crumpled deck plates and grabbed Jet's shoulder. "Pard. Time to wake up. Hey, Jet. I'm serious. Don't make me hit you."

One of the compy's hopped down and perched on the edge of the plate. His beady eyes were the first thing Jet saw when he opened his own. "AHHH!" In the tight space, Jet flailed nearly striking Spike in the process.

Lucky for Spike he intercepted the rogue arm and deflected. "Whoa! Easy, you're alright." He helped Jet sit up. "Give yourself a moment."

Rubbing his aching head, Jet blinked. "Did we crash? Is this the _Bebop_?"

"We're more than a swamp away from the ship at the moment." Spike sighed and craned his head to take in the skeletal remains of the tower. This was not a secure location at all. They were very exposed. The flying figures winging above proved it. He held up a hand waiting for the creatures to pass. Luckily even Ed noticed and remained silent before resuming her humming.

Jet's startled gaze turned dark as he stared at the compy. The little beast retreated to the comfort of its pack. Extracting himself from the wreckage, Jet growled, "Now I remember. We're stranded in the middle of an amusement park."

Spike choked on a laugh. "Amusement, my ass."

One of the compy's edged up behind Spike, its head turning back and forth. The glint of Spike's lighter caught its eye. Deftly, the creature dove its schnoze into the pocket and extracted the device. The compy darted back just as Spike spun with an enraged yell, "Give that back, you little thief!"

In a chorus of chirrups, the pack shuffled around reminding Spike of a street-hustler's game of 'find the lady'.

"When I get my hands on you—" Spike folded his arms over his chest. All the compsognathus looked the same to him, except for the one which had been chewed on. But that wasn't the thief. That would have been too easy. His eyebrow twitched in frustration as the little beasts popped around from perch to perch evading even his expert eye. By now he hadn't the foggiest which of them had his precious lighter. "Cheeky little bastards!"

Jet turned slowly in the room. "Uhh … we're missing someone. Where's Faye?"

One of the compys hopped up and down, opening its mouth to expose the lighter. Spike snarled and dashed for it, only to find the swift beast had darted around shuffling into the pack like a card. "Your turn to Faye-sit. I watched out for her ass last time!" He glared at the mob of compys flicking their heads around.

"Not funny." Jet eyed him. "If she got eaten you'd be upset."

"Boo hoo," retorted Spike as he leered over the compys. "Seriously, knock it off. If you guys don't cough it up soon I'm gonna start feeding you lead."

They all chorused in chirrups. No lighter emerged.

Spike swore smoke would come out of his ears as he reached for his gun.

Ein padded in between, facing the pack. The creatures locked eyes with him. Ein's ears fidgeted around in a pattern. The noses of the creatures jerked up and down in a rhythm. "Bark!"

 _Plink._

The lighter ejected from a compy's mouth and landed in front of Spike. He reached down and plucked it from the debris. "Do that again and I won't hesitate to add more ventilation to each and every one of you."

"Faye?" Jet leaned out the side of a dented window frame. Nothing answered in the growing darkness. "Faye, where are you?"

Swaggering over in his victory, Spike pulled out a cigarette and lit it. His eyes took in the jungle. With the fading light the activity died down. Even the compys settled down on their haunches, tucking their noses like strange swans. Spike cocked an eyebrow. "Not the best time for her to go missing."

"You know what we have to do." Jet braced a hand on the windowsill.

With a sigh, Spike half hooded his eyes. "You know how I feel about hunting for her."

"Spike." Jet rumbled. "She's—"

He finished for him, "—part of the crew. I know. Well, here we go again."

They each had a foot on the edge of the window when Ed's joyous cry filled the air. "Aaaayeeeee!" They turned to find her holding up a piece with wires between her fingers. At her feet, Ein danced around with an object in his mouth.

"What?" Jet brought his foot back to the ground inside the tower.

"Chatty chat program chippy. Things that make the dinos go!"

Spike blinked, still halfway out the window. "Wait, you know how they work?"

With a grin, Ed ruffled the corgi's ears. "Ein knows how they work, don'tya boy."

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	10. Session 10

_**Session 10**_

"Ooooo owwww." Faye opened her eyes and moaned. Everything hurt. Swallowed by a dense bush she jerked at the sight of red spatters all over her body. So much red! "Oh God! I'm gonna bleed to death! Guys, where are you?"

Nothing answered. Only the sound of gears whining broke the spell.

Gears. Whining.

Faye froze. The red pooled on her belly. As much as blood loss frightened her, the thought of a creature rending her to bits was far more compelling a reason to remain still. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Heavy steps thumped on the ground, branches snapped and cracked.

She gritted her teeth and whispered to herself, "I promise if I get through this I'll return the money I had Ed hack from Spike's account. I swear, I'll never gamble again. No more … " for a moment she held her breath, "ponies."

Silence reigned. For one breath. Two breaths. It remained unbroken.

Faye heaved a sigh.

The brush moved, shifting her body as an immense snout pushed through. She couldn't help it, though she sure as hell tried to fight it! Faye screamed.

The creature withdrew bringing the branches with it as it roared. Faye's body tumbled a few feet onto the ground. Berries from the bush splattered all over the ground. One squished beneath her palm. She lifted it and stared at the pulpy mess. The same all over her body.

"Son of a—!" Leaping to her feet she threw her hands in the air. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get berry stains out of clothing?"

The once curious dimetrodon scrambled on his short legs away from her. His eyes wide in the berry stained face. The setting sun glinted on his metallic pebbled hide. The huge sail fin on his back caught the reddish hues of the artificial sky.

Faye held up a finger to the beast and berated it, "Let me tell you how much of a pain in the ass it is. You can't bleach this. And that supposed color safe shit isn't worth shit. Works less than that lunkhead, Spike!"

The dimetrodon walked sideways, edging away from her tirade with his eyes wider the more she yelled. The thick forest swallowed the lumbering beast leaving Faye to rant as the last rays of light were sucked beneath the asteroid.

Darkness fell. Beneath the chorus of her rage the surrounding forest descended into utter silence. No sounds of gears. No limbering steps or flapping wings. No eye shine. Nothing moved.

Her fury spent, Faye huffed a few breaths and looked around. Realization dawned on her. In the thick foliage she had no way of knowing where the tower had landed. The eerie silence penetrated her. She tucked her limbs in tight and eyed the woods. In a shaking voice she called out, "Uhh, guys? Jet? Ed … " Swallowing hard she bowed her head and whispered, "I'd even settle for lunkhead."

Alone in the dark Faye wiped a tear from her eye. For all the times she cursed the guys, stole from them, and ran off, it had always been her choice. Beyond her control fate had dumped her ass in the middle of a nightmare deathpark on her own. This wasn't her choice. Every step in this stupid park was a gamble of insane odds. At least when she'd been with the guys there was someone to watch her back.

Slowly she spun around, wide eyes burning from the lack of blinking. The shadows pervaded everything. She couldn't see a thing.

"No. I'm not going to scream for them. I absolutely refuse to play the damsel in distress. I'll just hide until daylight." She slunk over into the bush and concealed herself in the thick branches weighed down by berries.

Mmm, berries. Even in the low light they looked good. They smelled better. Faye reached out and plucked one. The moment it hit her tongue she realized how hungry she was. When had they last eaten? Who cared! A bush full of sweet fruit, she plucked a handful and indulged with a wicked smile, and they were all hers!

* * *

Jet rubbed his whiskered chin and stared at the small device in Ed's hand. "Wait a sec, you telling me these things are actual AI?"

Ed nodded so hard her hair flopped about. "Artificial sensory decision maker and processor. Some bright person made it so the dinos don't need external prompts."

Snatching the device, Spike narrowed his eyes. "So this is one of their brains?"

Ed snickered into her hand.

Spike cocked an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"What Faye-Faye would say."

"And that is?" He grit his teeth, his hand gripping the device in a fist.

Ed tucked her chin and rocked on her heels. "That the robo-dinos have bigger brains than Mister Spike-person."

"Oh yeah?" Spike pulled his fist back. "And what do _you_ think?"

With her cheesy wide grin, Ed sprang up and hugged him. "Only part of Spike that matches dinos is his eye. Rest of Spike-person is the reeeeaaal deeeaaaal!"

He rolled his eyes and extracted himself from her grip, careful of his busted left hand. He dropped the device into Ed's waiting hand. "Whatever. Alright, so they don't have a remote control."

"But they do." Ed ruffled Ein's ears. "Ein found it."

Jet and Spike blinked at one another. "The damn dog? You can't be serious."

"Sure he did, see watch."

Ein barked. After a moment he turned around and faced the compys and barked again. They didn't move. He whined, stepped up to them and poked one in the snout. It didn't move. No light in the socket of its eyes.

Spike smirked. "Yeah, nice demo. What'd he do, tell 'em to play dead?"

Scratching her head, Ed examined the compys one after another. None of them moved so much as a gear.

Jet leaned in closer, "What the heck. It's like they're off or something."

Outside the sky had fallen dark. Spike perched up on the sill. "Wait a moment. That big one, the thrasher in the atrium. It was motionless until the sun hit it. You don't think these guys are solar powered do you?"

"Spike, bring your lighter over here." Jet waved a hand.

The moment the flame flickered to life Ed and Jet spotted it at the same time. Small panels on the feathers of the compy's heads gleamed with an oily finish.

"Shit!" Spike grinned. "This is easy now. We just gotta move in the dark when these things are harmless as an empty gun! We'll be back to the _Bebop_ in no time."

Ed tugged on his jacket tied around his waist. "Umm … Faye-Faye?"

"What about little Miss Freerider?"

Jet grabbed him by the shirt collar. "We're finding her before we go back."

"Oh come on! She's a big girl, she can find her own way back to the ship."

"Spiiikkke!" Jet's fist shook, crossing Spike's eyes. "I've had enough of you two bickering all the time! She's part of this crew, as much as your annoying ass is."

"Easy pard!" He held up his hands, unable to do much else suspended by his shirt collar. After all, he didn't want to hurt the big guy … or accidentally land a punch on that metal arm of his. That always hurt. "I was only joking."

"No you weren't." Jet grunted and released Spike. "I know you better than that. Now, where would she be?"

Spike adjusted his fraying shirt. "Where ever the ponies are." He darted back at Jet's glare. "What?"

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	11. Session 11

_**Session 11**_

Scant light from the stars filtered through the canopy. Sweating from the sweltering night with a soggy cigarette hanging from his mouth, Spike kicked the underbrush. "Ya under there, Faye? No scream. Guess not."

Pushing through the dense bushes, Jet scowled at him. "How would you feel if she was injured and suffering somewhere."

Spike paused and glanced over his shoulder. "Would an honest answer get me kicked off the ship?"

The only answer he received was a rough grunt as Jet returned back to search.

"Face it, pard, you're as pissed off as I am about this. Just remember how many times she left us stranded after wrecking your precious _Bebop._ Now we're wasting half the night looking for her. By now we could be back on the ship eating for the first time in days!"

Jet's hand ripped bark from a tree. He hated Spike's words, but worse yet, it was the burn of how logical they were. Still, he couldn't abandon Faye. Not to this place. He reached into the bag at his side and pulled out a couple of cans. "Let's take a break. Here, you need something to drink."

Catching the can, Spike leaned against a tree and took a long gulp. "No clue what this is, but I doubt it was supposed to taste like this." He sniffed the opening and grinned. "Heh, fermented. It's no fine whiskey, but I wonder what the proof is."

Like a possum, Ed hung upside down from a tree branch in front of Jet. "Ed wants a drink too."

Carefully, Jet pulled out a bottle of water. "Here, this should be safe."

"Nyooo, Ed wanted the good stuff!"

Spike chuckled and held up the can. "You're not missing much. Not so certain I'd call this good."

Wiping his brow, Jet heaved a sigh as his other hand gripped his stomach. "I gotta say, Spike, I'm glad for once you haven't made a big deal out of the food issue."

He finished the can and shrugged. "No point in making a deal of that. I'm not going to volunteer to be a guinea pig to find out if any of this stuff is edible."

Jet nodded. "Maybe if we found some mushrooms."

"Mushrooms!" Ed swung from the tree. Below her Ein danced around barking.

But it was Spike's revolted expression that burst Jet into laughter. "I'm just joking, buddy. Same with eggs. I know. We've had enough."

"Still." Spike tossed the can into the air and caught it. "I admit that at the moment I could probably stomach that or any of the rest of your lame ass cooking."

Jet raised a hand. "You know, you could always cook."

Gagging, Ed flopped on the ground. "Remember the last time he cooked? Pyyyyucccck! Icky icky charcoal bricky!"

But Spike missed the whole jab, he stared at Ein instead. The little dog cocked his head up, twisting his ears. Bending down, Spike reached out and gestured him closer. "We've been going about this all wrong, haven't we boy. Heh, you tracked down mushrooms before. Can you use that nose of yours to find Faye?"

Ein snuffle sneezed and shook his head.

"Was that a yes or a no?"

Ed ambled up on her hands and feet. "Ein can find Faye-Faye, right boy? Go!" She pointed.

Ein spun in a circle with his nose in the air. Once, twice, a third time. Then he slowly pealed off through the thick brush. Too thick for the guys to follow easily. Ed left them behind, swinging along the branches with Ein's tail in plain sight. It felt like forever until at last, Ein stopped and barked at a bush.

Drawing up into the tree, Ed chewed on a finger. "Nyaaa? Where is Faye?"

Ein barked again.

Behind them followed a chorus of the guys fighting with the dense growth, branches snapping and slapping. Jet snarled as they broke through, "Overgrown banzai tree! If only I had my scissors." Knocking the leaves off his jumpsuit, he glanced around. "Why are we stopping here?"

They followed Ein's muzzle into the bush. The shrub moaned.

"Whuh?" Jet parted the branches. Nestled inside he found a berry stained Faye surrounded by nothing but leafy limbs. Not a berry in sight. Her pale complexion rather green.

Peering over Jet's shoulder, Spike glared down at the sight. "Well if this isn't a familiar situation. Only difference this time is there were no wrappers. Tell me, Faye, how did they taste? Did you save any for the rest of us? Doesn't look like it!"

Jet reached down and grabbed her wrist, pulling her out. Faye doubled over with a wet-belching sound.

But Spike wasn't finished, he clamped a hand on Jet's shoulder. "Still worried about her? Looks like she made out alright for herself while we've been searching high and low. Good thing too, because she could be seriously injured! We wouldn't want that would we. After all she's such a generous soul, saving some of the food she found for us. Right?"

Grumbling, Jet placed a hand on Faye's shoulder. "Come on, Faye. On your feet."

She tried and stumbled forward, gripping her belly tight.

Spike lifted an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest knowingly. He waited as more than a minute ticked by before Jet fixed him with a stare. "Someone's gotta carry her."

"Freeloader Faye?" Spike's head shook. "No way. I'm not going to burn calories I don't have because she gorged herself sick. You want her on the ship? You carry her."

Smoke nearly curled out of Jet's ears. "I'll remember this, buddy." He bent down and hefted Faye into his arms. She groaned and rested her head against his shoulder. Her stomach churned audibly with every step.

"You do that." Spike shot over his shoulder. "Now, we might still have enough time to get back to the ship if we hurry." He started off in the direction he'd been heading.

Jet stopped him. "Where are you going? The ship is that way."

Spike's nose scrunched up.

Ed and Ein both looked in other directions before they all faced on another, panic in their eyes. Spike barked, "Shit! We've lost which way the ship was!"

A gurgling sound answered him followed a second later by a retching sploosh. Jet stood bolt upright. All down the back of his jumpsuit was soaked in foul mixture of berries and bile. He cringed as Faye's head tucked into his chest. She whimpered, "Don't … don't eat the berries. Oh God, … they're bad."

His shoulders fell as he took a few steps. "Gee, thanks for the info."

From a distance, Spike failed to conceal his amused grin behind a fist. He turned a touch too slow to fully hide it.

Jet took a sloshing step and groaned. "Uhhh! It's in my boots."

Spike and Ed broke into laughter.

"It's not funny! Let's get back to the ship. I need a shower." Still carrying Faye, he lead the way.

Hours passed with the crew trudging through the tangled wood without a path in sight. The horizon began to lighten. Faye of the poisoned berries still huddled in Jet's arms. She'd hurled a few more times, but had managed to miss him in the process. Such a small blessing.

Spike paused and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?" Jet blinked.

He ran his hand over a branch. "We've been here before. Damn it, Jet, we're walking in circles."

"No … can't be." Jet shook his head. "This is bad. Ed, how long before we're not alone?"

Agile as a panther, she swung up into the high branches of a tree before calling down. "Minutes til the dinos wakey-wake."

The guys sighed. "Great. This is all we need. Specially with Faye being dead weight."

Spike lifted a shoulder. "What's the plan? Keep walking, or find a place to hide for the day?"

"I don't like it, but I think we have to call it for the day. This heat is killing me."

To Jet's shock, Spike didn't even argue. Out of the corner of his eye he swore he glimpsed fatigue betrayed in the too slow blink. But Spike cupped his mouth and called up, "See any buildings?"

Ed scanned the horizon in the faint light before cheering, "Yes! That way!"

Without a word, Spike pressed on in the direction she pointed. Ein waddled beside him with the computer still strapped to his back. Wearily, Jet carried Faye along. "You hear me? When this is over you are going to owe me big time! Laundry, I mean every thread of fabric on the _Bebop_ will be hand washed by you. And I don't want to hear one word of complaint."

Edging up to the building, they entered the ivy dripping structure. Claimed by the foliage, it was difficult to tell what the tall building had once been. It was tall and relatively narrow. High up, bent rails careened down into the canopy from T towers. Spike eyed a pod like device crushed from a collision with the ground. "Looks like some kind of suspended train. Maybe to see the park?"

Ed chewed on a finger. "Not go no more."

"To put it mildly." Spike padded inside the musty tower, rays of soft light stretched out over the valley tinting the foliage. It would have been beautiful, if he had been in a better mood. All he could ponder now was how they could have been crashing on board the _Bebop_ if they hadn't spent so much time getting lost finding Faye. He could have been stretched out on the couch while Jet wiped up something in the kitchen instead of plagued by a hunger he dared not acknowledge. Food, air conditioning, the damn lazy fan. His right hand tightened into a fist. A target. He needed a damned target to spend this pent up rage on. Faye was damned lucky Jet still held her.

Light poured into the rusted and crumbling walls of the tower. The ascending notes of the solar charge sang out a song of death. Spike's eyes turned toward nearby shadow. Bright colors caught in the rays of light. Orange feather scales mottled in purple and blue stripes. Massive, rather like the thrasher.

A bright red eye whirred open and focused on Spike standing about fifty feet from the metallic beast. The grinding gears screamed as the massive creature pressed up from the floor. It opened jaws lined with serrated teeth, glistening stainless steal. The allosaurus towered on two powerful hind legs, flexing each of the three claws on each hand. It was the ancestral cousin of the T-Rex. Smaller, tighter packed, legs like pistons for pouncing, built for ultimate slaughter.

Murder gleamed in its cold dead eyes. The beast opened its mouth and shook the bones of the crew with a roar as it stomped the ground.

Faye clung to Jet's shoulders like a child.

Wild light flickered in Spike's eyes as he met the gaze of the savage beast. He slammed a foot onto the ground and screamed back, "You want a piece of me? Come get it, Blinky!"

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	12. Session 12

_**Session 12**_

Faye rolled her head toward the commotion. The moment her eyes opened she shrieked and thrashed in Jet's arms. Still weakened from the effects of the not-quite-safe-for-human-consumption berries, her efforts resulted in the appearance of a fish flopping in his arms. Jet fought like hell not to drop her as she scrambled up him.

Trembling, Ein jumped into Ed, pushing her backward onto the ground. She embraced the little dog tight staring with wide eyes at the sight. Her voice remained little more than a stunned whisper, "Don't watch now, Ein. Mr. Spike-person made another bad choice."

Oblivious to the crew, Spike fixed the allosaur with a venomous glare and ground his teeth until they squealed. It didn't matter that this mechanical killing machine, its taloned feet spread across the remains of several skeletons, towered over him. If Spike had his way, and he was determined he would, this brute had asked for the sucker punch that would end all sucker punches.

The allosaur's tail waved like a flag behind her as she sized up the rare sight of a fleshy creature. Something not seen since the park's epic closure. Programming buzzed on circuitry. Destroy. She flexed hand claws, six deadly scythes. No. There was no need to eat. Only to rend limb from limb, flesh from bone. Driven to hunt for survival just like her ancestors. She reared back and collected the air. Prey runs from preditors! In a single blast she roared, shaking the air in the tight space.

When the dust settled, she blinked.

Spike stared back at her, cold and hard, huffing breaths like a enraged bull waiting to charge. His right hand clenched into a fist. He showed no intention of giving ground.

The allosaur cocked her head. This was odd. Programs searched and rattled in her brain. What did such a stance mean? Behavioral pattern did not compute for prey. He was too small to be hunting her. Search suggested that perhaps he was a juvenile male interested in her. But that made little sense. Her arm was larger then his whole body. A different species challenging her territory?

Spike ground a heel in.

She hunkered down and grunted. So, a challenger then. The protocol slammed into full on attack mode. Every gear engaged as slammed a foot, sending bones flying. In a charge she thundered at him.

The ground rumbled sending the others into retreat. All but Spike. Stubbornly he held his ground. Ed covered Ein's eyes as she continued to stare in awe. At the last possible moment Spike vaulted onto the nose, using the lower jaw for leverage. Tumbling onto the back of the neck, he gripped the plating with his right hand for a brace and started to kick the back of the allosaur's skull.

Not accustomed to such an assault, she reared up, slashing the air in front of her with her claws. All in vain. She couldn't reach Spike. He knew it as he clung to the bucking dinosaur, riding her like a massive bull. She spun in a circle, slamming her body against the walls trying to shake him off.

For once he didn't spare a breath for a sarcastic remark. Instead he kept one hand locked on her scaly plating and his eyes on her blundering pathway. Enraged, she jumped backward, trying to slam her neck into the arched ceiling. Debris fell everywhere. The structure groaned.

Jet took a step back. "Ed … I think we better—RUN!"

Before he finished, the allosaur tucked her head so she ran neck first, driving toward the main central support. She collided with an immense crash. In the cloud of dust the groaning metal turned into a shriek. The tower buckling.

Barely staying ahead of the cloud, Jet carried Faye. Ed carted Ein above her head, "Whoaaaa!" A fair distance from it all, they stood and watched the cables tearing down the next T tower. One deep thud after the next.

As the dust cleared, Spike stood atop a pile of crumbled concrete and twisted rebar. The tail of the crushed allosaur lay kinked out from the mess.

Jet bellowed, "You lunkhead! Are you finished?"

"Would you rather be dead?"

"What?"

Spike folded his arms. "It's an easy question. We were too close to just escape. This is crush or be crushed, time. You saw the bones. Now, let's get back to the ship."

Ed perked up, glancing over her shoulder as the leaves moved. "Ein, is that your buddies catching up?"

The footsteps slapped the earth. Spike stiffened. Too loud to be the diminutive compys. A whip-like tail curved up out of the brush. Then another. And another. "Shit! Jet—get down!" He didn't even glance to see if they listened. There wouldn't be time. Whatever was coming, came fast. And he needed to get its attention before it picked out the others.

The moment he turned on his heel and darted into the woods, snapping branches as he went, that thrill struck him. That adrenaline surge of really living on the edge. This just got interesting.

Three sleek figures, roughly his size, sliced through the leaves. Three sets of red gleaming eyes flashed as he glanced over his shoulder. Bipedal with mouths full of sharp teeth. Spike raced a pack of raptors. Leaping over logs he stole glances only to find the creatures were gaining on him. Turning a corner tight bought him nothing. These mothers were not tiring.

As fit as he was, Spike couldn't ignore the burn of his muscles. He could push it. But not much longer. Through the break of the trees he spied it. A gorge. On the other side a knotted mass of vines stretched out below. He grinned, how good were these assholes at jumping?

Whipping through the break in the bushes he darted straight for the edge of the cliff. White mist spread out from the waterfall on the far side. The vines beckoned him. Behind three sets of thumping feet promised a grizzly death if this didn't work.

He collected his stride and pushed off the crumbling edge. The rock face fell away directly below him. He reached out, arms spread, a wide smile … until the bandaged hand came into view. Oh shit, in his excitement he'd forgotten about that. Too late to abort, he flailed to get his right hand into a better angle. The grip of one hand would have to hold.

Feet scrambled on the edge of the cliff behind him. Gears and pistons slammed and ground. No time to look. Spike reached, his eyes widened as the vines touched his finger tips. His hand closed on the mass, bringing him to a jerking halt. He let out half a breath.

The celebration was short lived! The neck of his shirt pulled tight for a second before all the buttons ripped away. Fabric tore as claws gripped into the back of the shirt, wrenching Spike's weight on the precarious hold. It felt as if the entire crew of the _Bebop_ had jumped on his back. Two more bodies slammed into the rocks around him. Machinery smoked as gears flew, claws scrambled for a hold they couldn't find.

Shrieking in rage and terror, the raptors twisted into the air as they plummeted. The jerking of the raptor clinging to Spike's shirt wrenched his hand free just as the fatigued fabric let go. He caught another vine and swung in a wild arc. Safe … for a second.

Water slammed into him like bricks. Tumbling in the torrent, Spike spun in the water fall's force unable to tell which way was up. The sting of the white capped water sliced into him. Suddenly he plunged into the pool at the bottom, the dark world enveloping him in bubbles. Bobbing up like a wayward cork, Spike rolled onto his back and floated several feet to come to rest on a shallow spit of sand.

He gasped and rolled onto his side. Ejecting water from his lungs, he coughed so hard he swore his stomach touched his spine. It took too long to pass before he flopped onto his back, panting in the shadowy corridor. Nothing seemed broken, but his skin burned in several places. When he glanced, abrasions dimpled in blood shown across his bare torso. Yes … the damn thing had managed to rip what was left of his shirt off. His jacket was also missing. Well, at least he still had pants. Though the knee had been torn out by this little escapade.

Such good luck.

Against the sand he rolled his head to the right. Down the cliff below the vines the remains of the raptors hung by bits of wire and springs from jagged rocks. He counted their heads. All three effectively decapitated.

"No exactly as planned. But I'll take it." Spike heaved a sigh. How the hell was he going to climb out of here?

Exhaustion's relentless chasing caught him like the falls and slammed him into the ground. His eyes began to close. If he was right, the sun never reached down here. No power source. No death bots. No one could fault him for a short nap. Right? Jet wouldn't leave without Faye, he sure as hell wouldn't leave Spike. Right?

It didn't matter if they would. Spike's eyes shut of their own accord. Even he admitted as sleep pulled him down into the darkness, he couldn't win against gravity.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	13. Session 13

_**Session 13**_

Jet held his breath and craned an ear. Difficult to hear anything over Faye's rasping breaths from behind his shoulder where he had crammed her into the tree hollow in a hurry. Between his feet, Ed curled into a ball around Ein, for once silent and motionless.

Minutes crept by without an external sound. Eons seemed to pass since he had last glimpsed Spike's sweat-matted hair flopping up over the tree cover, three seriously bad ass killing machines in his wake. Even now Jet grappled with his instincts. Spike was a helluva fighter, but those things were in a whole nother league.

Faye shifted in the tree, her hand still grasping her belly. "That brash moron—"

Jet's elbow into her stomach stopped her short. "That moron just saved our lives." He stepped out of the tree and hauled her out, watching her teeter on her feet until she grabbed the trunk for support. Crossing his arms he huffed. "Unless you think you can run now."

If her greenish complexion hadn't betrayed her enough, the eyes not quite tracking the world around her cemented it in. Whether she bowed her head from the nausea or the shame, it didn't matter. The weight of their situation sunk in.

Ed hugged Ein close and looked out into the forest. "Spike … do you think he made it? Is Spike ok?"

In the shiftless woods Jet glared as if his eyes could pierce the dense foliage. "I don't know, kid. What I do know is if he hadn't drawn them off, we wouldn't be standing her talking. We're going to find him."

"But … " Faye released her hand and regretted, staggering back to the tree's support. "What about those machines, they'll kill us if we run into them?"

Jet flung her over his shoulder, not caring a moment for her comfort. "Do me a favor and as long as you can't walk on your own, keep your mouth shut. Ed, take the high road. Watch for stuff that moves."

She set Ein down and pressed his nose. "Go find Spike." With a stiff salute, she scampered into the trees.

Tromping along in the thick tangles of vines, Jet took small comfort in seeing Ed's shadow swing from branch to branch. She could have been back on the ship hanging from the railings for all her cares. In front of him Ein sniffed along the disturbed dirt. Not that Jet needed the dog's guidance, the smashed tree branches and scuffed ground was enough. This felt oddly familiar. Like trailing a suspect through an urban jungle—though this was rather a far cry from urban. And he'd never had to be concerned with getting jumped by a pack of robotic dinosaurs. This was a new one, a tough feat in a list of events that had grown increasingly bizarre since he'd first teamed up with Spike.

* * *

The pounding of the waterfall across the flooded gorge roused him. Spike sat up and glanced around the sheer cliffs. High above, fingers of light grazed the rocks barely breaking the endless gloom where he sat relieved. Nothing had bothered him while he'd been out cold for who knew how long. No footprints in the sand as he wrenched himself up.

Sore and stiff, he shuffled over to the water and splashed it all over his upper body rinsing the sand and grit off the abrasions. They stung. A few sported shallow bruised. Fortunately nothing serious. Luckily even down here his lack of shirt wasn't a problem. If anything it was more humid in the oppressive heat beside the endless cascade of water.

Spike stared at his reflection and wrinkled his nose. Yup, he sure looked like he'd taken an impromptu ride down a log flume without the log. Funny how that was. He didn't laugh as he splashed the water with the fingers of his right hand and stood up. "Now, time to get back to the others."

He grabbed the wall with his right hand and stepped up on a small ledge. The moment his left hand tried to close on an out hanging rock he yelped and dropped back down, gripping the wrist as he buckled over it. Narrow eyes took in the height that held him captive. He estimated close to a hundred feet. Already his hand told him that wasn't going to happen. Not even his stubborn will could pull that off.

Turning back to the water he rubbed his chin. "Hold on." The torrent of water pounded over the cliff into the gorge. Yet the space where he'd sprawled to take his nap had not even changed in relation to the water line. It occurred to him, a bit late, that he could have drowned in his sleep. No time to regret that now. "If water keeps coming," Spike knelt down and leaned around the rocky bulge, "it has to go somewhere."

The winding passage barely showed, but Spike glimpsed what appeared to be a retreating river.

Hugging the edge of the wall, he sloshed into the shallow water and inched around the rock bulge to discover a broader sand bar. This one not nearly so deserted. Footprints in the sand, human in nature, lead back to a cave. He followed, taking out his lighter as the darkness descended. After a couple turns the light struck something brighter. The highlights formed in the shadows, taking up shapes, grinning and sinister.

Spike bent down and stared into the eye sockets of a skeleton draped in work clothing. The man wasn't alone. Close to a dozen more lined the corridor, undisturbed. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who thought this place was safe."

The omen shook him, greater than he cared to admit. He turned back the way he had come. "Rest in piece, guys."

In the eerie silence of the secluded beach, Spike walked along pondering the find. Workers, gathered down here. Water flow. This was a lot of structure unessential for an asteroid. He paused and glanced back at the waterfall. "Unless this was a power generator for the buildings. Which means there must be maintenance tunnels!"

Thump!

He stopped and lifted his foot. Bringing it down again. Thump!

That sounded rather different from the sand. He kicked away at it. Metal glinted up. Smooth, not scaled or feathered. Kneeling down he redoubled his efforts, flinging sand like a digging dog. An overturned skiff boat slowly emerged. "So this is how they got down here."

In a short period of time, Spike pushed the boat into the water and leapt in. Plunging the single paddle he'd uncovered into the water he steered and let the current do the work. There was no engine left on this boat. But if Spike was right, the current would carry him towards the drains for the hydroplant's turbines hidden beneath the falls. With luck, there he would find a ladder.

* * *

Jet stared down into the darkened gorge, Ein glanced up at him and whined. That was it. The last trace, the end of the trail. Fingers of light glinted off metal shards clinging to the walls about ten feet to the side of the waterfall, fabric like Spike's shirt fluttered. The bottom remained shrouded in dark mist.

Crouching down, Jet placed a hand on Ein's head. "Check the edge again, see if he turned and went off in either direction. We have to be sure, boy."

Ed hung upside-down from the branches of a tree. "Movement."

Jet and Faye jerked upright. Sure enough the leaves shuffled on a path toward them. Ein's ears flared up. He barked and vanished into the brush. "Ein!" Jet fought to keep his voice hushed. "Shit, now we lost the mutt!"

The edge of the cliff exploded in leaves as six compys and Ein leaped out in a crazy dance. The small dinosaur robots bobbed around Ein bopping noses together. Meanwhile the others stared with slack jaws.

Ed recovered first, swinging down to join them. "Hehehe! Ein, your friends are back! Hey, they know this place. Can they find Spike?"

Faye shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, they can't understand that much."

Ignoring her entirely, Ein woofed at the pack. They came to attention and cocked their heads. Ein snuffed toward the edge of the cliff. The leader hopped up to the edge and studied it intently. After a long moment another joined it there and chirruped. A chorus grew as all six pipped up, spinning in circles. At last the leader dashed off. He hopped up onto a fallen truck and gazed back, flicking his head.

"Come on," Jet barked, "This is crazy as hell, but I think they're on to something."

Ein scrambled up after them following the six diminutive dinosaurs into the unbroken forest.

The crew lost track of how many snagged cloths they tore loose from the encroaching trees. Sweat poured down their foreheads in the damp air. It was like breathing hot rain. Fallen trunks, rocks, thorn briars, uneven ground. Could it get any worse?

That thought crossed through Jet's mind just as his boot sucked down into the muck. "Oh great." He tugged. It didn't move. He pulled harder. The resistance increased. "Whuh?" The more he fought, the further his foot sank, mire bubbling up around his stuck limb. He stared at the backs of the others moving forward without him.

Jet growled and reached down, slapping the clasp of his boot. It opened, releasing his foot. He yanked it out of the greedy earth. The mire swallowed his boot whole in a second.

Wriggling his bear toes, he blinked for a moment before heaving a sigh. "That was close." He stepped up onto a fallen tree trunk and didn't step back down. With one boot and one bare foot, Jet picked through for dry land.

A quarter of an hour later, they stood before a vine wrapped low building clinging to the edge of the cliff. Side by side, they took in the rusted walls peeking through the overgrowth. Large chimney stacks rose out of the top. A crumpled chain link fence surrounded the complex with a NO TRESPASSING sign poked through with rust holes.

The compys bobbed their heads towards the building. One ambled over to the cliff edge and looked down into the darkness.

Ed leaned over and stared at Jet's bare foot. She peered up at him, wide-eyed. "You have toes?"

He grunted and folded his arms. "Of course I have toes."

She tapped the metal part of his boot. "Ed though Jet had metal feet."

He shuffled back gruffly. "Knock it off."

"Where did Jet's metal foot go?"

"In the mud," he grunted. "Now enough of that. Let's see what we have here."

Inside the building metal panels hung by rusting screws, great tears slashed into them by claws. By the unfinished metal, this structure hadn't been fancifully concealed in décor. This was something more utilitarian. The further they moved into the vine entangled mess, the more dials and switches lined the walls. Some broken or torn from the wall. Some flickering with a half-light.

Deep scratches lined the floor. Shards of crushed bone littered the rooms.

Ed scampered into a side room lined with computer screens. Instantly she began to cartwheel with joy. The hum of power pervaded the air. At a desk, the hand of a man reached from beneath, his finger bones touching the keyboard. "Yaaaaaahhhhheeeee! More info. More sing song ding dong, alla livelong day!"

Faye clamped a hand over Ed's mouth. "Shh! Or the live part won't be happening anymore."

A groaning THUD echoed through the building. Everyone fell into a silence. Gears turned, something heavy and metallic ground.

Jet pulled out his gun and pressed against the wall. "Shh!" He held his fingers to his lips even as his pulse thudded in his ears, he could hear machinery struggling to work. What lay in wait for them here?

A shadow thrown by the flickering lights dashed against the wall. His finger brushed the trigger.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	14. Session 14

_**Session 14**_

Jet swallowed. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Faye grabbing Ed and pulling her back behind the open door of a cabinet. Somewhere behind him Ein's tiptoed footfalls filled the quiet. The compys, perched on the edge of the desk, remained perfectly still.

Beyond the door the tap of footsteps echoed. The intermittent shadow stretched at an odd angle, flashes of light did not last long enough for him to tell what the hell approached. His finger weighed on the trigger, just shy of firing. Everyone depended on him now to intercept danger. Right in this moment it was the chamber of his gun that formed the line.

Fixing a determined glare on his face, he recalled what it was to be the Black Dog. Whatever the hell was approaching would feel his full bite!

Flash … the shadow stretched long. In mid step Jet spied the foot lifting from the floor.

It was close. Just outside now.

He had one shot at this range. Bracing himself, Jet exhaled before spinning to block the door, the gun gripped in both hands. In mid pull of the trigger, he choked on his hold and stumbled backward.

In the flash of light and muzzle fire, the shadowy thing tumbled backward. A cacophony of metal clangs erupted. A small length of pipe rolled in through the doorway. Then … silence.

Jet clapped a hand over his mouth and muttered, "Oh shit … did I?"

Before he could move, Ein lifted his muzzle in the air and sniffed. In a scramble of claws on metal floor, he dashed around the corner out of sight. A second later the corridor erupted in curses.

"Stop it, Ein! Get off me! Uggg! Enough with the slobber already!" The voice sounded familiar.

Jet tore around the door frame to lay eyes on a sight. A waterlogged Spike had flung himself against the wall, his Jericho lay a few feet from him, clearly dropped. The curled bullet hole of the strike was a hairsbreadth from a wet shoe print. Jet heaved a relieved sigh. "First time I'm glad I missed!"

Pushing the dog off him, Spike picked up his gun and climbed up the wall. As he twisted the abrasions on his bare torso showed.

"Whoa," Jet reached out to help him. "Are you ok?"

"Sure, I'm just fine and dandy." He rammed the gun into his concealed holster. "Having the time of my fuckin' life. I just love being a target in the shooting gallery!"

At Spike's voice, Ed twisted from Faye's grip and both of them ran to the doorway. Ed executed her usual cheery dance. Faye couldn't hide the concern for a brief flicker before she adopted a dower facade.

"Sorry," Jet put his gun away, "if I'd known it was you … well, how the hell did you get here?"

Jabbing a finger over his shoulder he quipped, "I took the scenic route through the flooded gorge. Nice workout program. Never tried cliffhanging while set upon by a robotic dino thing."

Jet edged behind him, searching for any serious damage, specifically gashes. "We found the cliff. When we saw your shirt we thought you might be … well … "

"We thought you bit it." Faye interjected with a hand on her hip.

He eyed her back and smirked. "No, but I did get to take a nice shower."

In their banter no one really paid attention to Ed ambling over to the computer with Ein at her side. She pushed the shredded skeleton out of the way and started to open files, completely absorbed in the screen.

"You forgot to get dressed." Faye grinned back. "Seriously, you could blind someone."

Spike folded his arms and lifted an eyebrow. "I'd rather lose my shirt to a dinosaur's claws than stand here looking like I lost a fight with a berry tart. Did you find any whipped cream?"

In a huff she scowled at him and turned away.

Jet clapped a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Hey, I really thought we'd lost you. Glad to have you back, buddy."

Spike twitched at the contact, but reined in the reflex.

"Spike-o?" He leaned a little closer. "You ok?"

"Yeah." He extracted himself from the hand. "I'm **fine**. Just tell me we're close to the ship."

"I honestly don't know."

"I followed a river. How the hell did you guys end up here?"

"Got it!" Ed held her hands up. Like clockwork, the crew gathered behind her staring at the screen.

Jet scratched his head as he pushed the skeleton further away with his boot. "What is _it_ , Ed?"

She sang out, "The whole song and dance. Lotsa videos tell the mad-mad story." Her fingers brought up photos and snippets of video. "A long while ago the guy in the orange dino suit had a dreamy dream. Wanted everyone to love dinos just like he did. His name was Tyler Allele. He told his smarty pants friend Douglas Zinc about it and the two set to work to build this park. They thought it would be real cool to have something people could touch and interact with. Tyler built them, but it was Douglas who wrote the code. Tyler dreamed of them being like puppies, safe and interactive for folks."

Spike leaned on the desk and glimpsed the wrist watch in the photo on Tyler's wrist. It didn't escape him that the same crushed watch lay on the floor. "Let me guess, Douglas had another idea."

"Bingo!" She threw her hands in the air. "Douglas looked up real dinosaur's behavior and thought it would be more exciting to have them act authentic. Rawr rawr! When he told Tyler, the mean man said nope nope nope!"

Jet rubbed his chin. "Didn't end there, did it."

"Yup." She hit a key and video played of Douglas holding up a chip and speaking to the camera. "He wrote the code and loaded it up into a compy first. Only one. Solo. But it didn't stay there. Like a virus it spread, head hop, head hop! Soon they all came down with the sickness … and RAWR!"

Slack-jawed, Faye shook her head. "He killed everyone."

Ed spun in the chair, "Not on purpose. It was just supposed to be more exciting. Thriller chiller … now asteroid of dooooom!"

Leaning back, Spike folded his arms. "That is one helluva program error. So originally these things were harmless. And this whackjob's code turned them savage. Greeeat, this is why I hate theme parks."

"Really, Spike?" Faye retorted. "How often do the attractions assault the guests?"

He toed the mauled skeleton on the floor and raised an eyebrow.

Jet looked around the room at the shards of bone and broken work helmets. "Do you think anyone got out of here alive?"

Eerie silence pervaded with the crew pondering the evidence. At last Spike locked eyes with Jet. "Once we get out off this asteroid I have a pair of missiles on board the _Swordfish_ with this place's name on it."

Ed sat up stiffly and pointed to the compys. "We haveta take Ein's friends!"

Seeming to sense the threat, the little compys hopped down and cuddled up like kittens to Spike's leg. He staggered away, but it did little good as the creatures scampered up his pant legs, traversing over his naked back. Not in the least bit amused, he shook them off and glared daggers at them.

"The hell we do!" Spike shot back. "There's no way we're taking anything that claws through flesh on board. One slip in the program and imagine those things rending us to bits. Be worse than that black blob."

Faye threw him a dirty look. "And who's fault was that?"

With a dry chuckle, Jet lifted a hand. "She has a point."

Scowling, Spike stalked to the corner to sulk.

Spinning the chair, Ed grinned. "Best yet, Ed can undo the codey-code."

"Completely?" Jet leaned forward.

"Nope. But we can make a blam-blam gun that shoots wavey-lengths and makes the dinos behave. At least not eat us, for a bit."

"How long will it take?"

She shrugged, "A few hours once I have the stuff."

Taking a list of the things they needed, he waved to Spike, "Come on. Let's see what we can find. Most of this should be around."

Hand in his pockets, Spike slouched behind him. "Whatever."

"Do you want to get out of here alive?"

"I'd like to see how we'd manage that dead."

Jet sighed, "Alright, now you have a point."

"Do these points count for anything?" Spike muttered dryly.

"Does anything anymore?" Jet pulled out a transistor from an exposed panel. "First on the list."

A half hour later the guys walked back into the room with armfuls of stuff. Laying it on the table they stepped back. Spike eyed the compys, the five pack lined up on the edge of the desk clearly trying to appear docile. He raised an eyebrow. Where was the sixth?

"Gah!" Off to his right, the sixth stepped off from the cabinet and tried to hug him. Spike flailed and threw the creature into the others, panting under the strain.

Everyone blinked at the outburst. Jet leaned closer. "Spike, are you ok?"

For a long moment, he clearly wasn't. Then, he turned toward the creature and snarled, "Come here you little prick! I'm gonna reprogram your ass into next Tuesday!"

Ein intercepted just as Spike drew his hand back. Spike glared, but somehow turned off the target toward the wall. His fist pulled back. Jet caught it with his right hand. "Don't do it! You don't need two broken hands! Come on …" he pulled him away, "let's go see if we can see the ship from the roof."

"What about—"

Jet tugged without a backward glance. "The girls will be fine. Ein and the compys are with them."

Dragged behind as they walked up a stairwell, Spike blew out a breath and kept his remarks to himself. They emerged on the rooftop and approached the railing, leaning on it in silence for a few minutes. Jet pulled out a couple of dry cigarettes and handed one to Spike. He produced his lighter and touched the flame to the ends.

After a few drags, they both stared out across the forested valley watching the winged dinosaurs wheel in the distance. "Better now?"

Spike shrugged.

"You know, pal, you actually owe those little guys."

He muttered around the cigarette, "The hell I do."

Jet flicked the ash off the end of his. "How do you think we got here?"

Spike cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know about you, but I followed a fuckin' river."

"Yeah, and we followed them. I know," he raised his hands, "damnedest thing. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen them converse. Walked up to the cliff, both where you went off, and right outside this building. Those little buggers brought us directly here when we asked. If they hadn't, I don't know where we'd be right now. But I don't think it would have been where ever we are."

"The hydroplant." Spike took a long drag under Jet's scrutinizing glare. "What? Are you thinkin' like Faye now that I can't read? There's a diagram right outside the elevator. Besides, I knew what it was when I was at the bottom of the waterfall. Why else would they build something like that but for power? Didn't even need to see the turbines. The sun may have enough juice for the robots. But the buildings would need some serious round the clock power source."

Jet nodded. "You're lucky you didn't get chewed up."

"Aim to get out of this place without that." He eyed his partner. "Which means leaving that feathered pack behind. They're nothing but trouble."

"And you're not?" Jet cocked a grin. "Come on, pard. If Ed can reprogram them—"

"Open your eyes. How many mauled skeletons do you have to see before it sinks in! If the one that grabbed my shirt had gotten flesh we wouldn't be talking now. I draw the line at Ein on tolerating things with claws."

Silence stretched out as the tendrils of smoke twisted in the air. "You know, the _Bebop_ is my ship."

Spike gave a halfhearted shrug.

"What I say goes."

"Only on her decks. Which kinda means we have to find her first."

They stood up and started to scan the horizon. In the distance a gleam of light caught their attention. "Spike, is that the swamp?"

"Unless there's more than one, gotta be. With no direct path that might take more than a day to get there. Wait till nightfall?"

Jet flicked the spent butt over the railing. "If we want to make it back in one piece."

Spike smirked down at the Jet's missing boot. "Ok, well most of us anyway … some wardrobe malfunctions aside. What kind of creature got that?"

"Mud."

"They come in mud now?"

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	15. Session 15

_**Session 15**_

The glow of Ed's computer highlighted her face. In her lap Ein sat alert with her goggles over his eyes, his head and ears twitching as code poured onto the screen. She watched intently, wriggling her toes. In the middle of the desk a device resembling a bullhorn lay on its side, an open port awaiting the chip in Ed's computer. An hour ago, the compys had wandered to the rooftop for a bit of sun bathing.

Faye reclined on a chair picking at tiny flecks of dried berry juice, leaving behind dark purple stains. Occasionally she flicked a glare at they guys. Jet's chin tucked into his chest, his hands folded across his lap. His breathing had slowed into a deep sleep over the past two hours. Then there was lunkhead. With his left arm flung across the back of the chair, Spike sat in it backwards, resting his head on his arm. His right arm hung limp at his side. She couldn't tell if he was that far out of it, or snoring loud on purpose. Her grated nerves decided it must be the later.

"Men are such babies," Faye muttered while studying her chipped nail polish. "Look at those two, taking naps while we slave away at the plan. Least they could do is a lift a finger once in a while."

Ed rocked back and forth, grinning at the lines of coding. "Ein is nearly finished."

"What good are those two?" Faye continued on her original rant. "Can't even count on them to stay awake."

Ein's head twitched away uninterrupted by the banter, but he managed a grumbling growl.

Ed stroked his back. "You're right, Ein. Ooolala."

"Not like … " Faye paused and eyed the pair. "Right about what?"

"Ein says Faye-Faye should shut her mouth unless she wants to carry Jet back to the ship."

Another series of rumbles followed. Ed leaned forward and giggled. "Oh, she'd never do that."

Faye's hands formed fists. "Do what now?"

Grinning from ear to ear Ed chorused, "Give Spike a piggy back ride so he can sleep more. Ein says Spike is worn out, that's why he's such a grouchy-puss."

"Tch! Never for that lunkhead! Look at him, doesn't even know how to sit in a chair right! Lazy, good for nothing—no! He has two perfectly good legs! He can walk for himself!"

"Ein says you should have too," Ed pointed toward Jet, "when you made Jet carry you. At least Spike isn't a bad actor."

"What?" Her fists came down on the table with a mighty thud.

Jet jerked awake, blinking blurry eyes. His hand edged toward the gun. Meanwhile Spike hadn't so much as stirred, still draped across the back of a chair. Jet did a quick visual sweep of the room and forced himself to relax when nothing jumped out of the dark. "Uhhh did I miss something?"

Ed resumed watching the screen. "Just Faye-Faye losing an argument with a dog. Nothing new."

"Huh?" Jet scratched his head as Faye turned away from him, her cheeks flashing red. After a moment of tense silence he sighed and stood up with a crackle of the spine. "How is the program coming along, Ed?"

She didn't respond, instead she hummed the annoying song from the orange dinosaur, embedding it into Jet's memory. And not just his, Faye's eyes widened, her finger twitched close to the trigger of her gun. Spotting it, Jet closed the distance and slipped his hand inbetween. "She's just a kid. If you pull that trigger you'll regret it."

"Wanna bet?"

"No. Some things are too important to gamble on." He trudged back to his chair and flopped back down. "I really just want to rest a bit longer." Within five minutes Jet's eyes closed again as if nothing had happened.

Faye scowled. "Seriously? How can he—"

"Here we go again, Ein."

He woofed in reply.

Another hour left Faye simmering in her foul temper until at last, to the patter of the compys returning, Ed tossed Ein in the air and hugged him. "Good work, Cow-woof-woof!"

Faye sat up, the motion opened Jet's eyes. He leaned forward watching Ed slide the chip into the device. "You got it?"

"Ein says yeeeessss. Point this at the dino's head, press the trigger, and bark orders. Dino do whatever you want as long as you point it at them."

"That's great." Jet wandered over to Spike and for a moment hovered his hand over the shoulder.

Faye snorted. "He's had enough sleep. Wake the lazy ass up and let's get moving. I have a date with the washing machine."

Jet narrowed his eyes at her. "Actually, you have several." He tugged on the back of his jumpsuit, caked with dark red vomit.

Suddenly interested in her nails again, Faye kept her mouth shut.

"When we get back aboard the _Bebop_ you won't be leaving the laundry room until every thread on that ship has been washed, dried, and folded."

"Jet! That's not fair!"

Ed ruffled Ein's ears. "You hear that boy? Faye-Faye's gonna wash your woof-woof bed."

Ein barked and wriggled his butt.

She folded her arms. "I will not."

"Oh, you will. Or you're staying here." Jet reveled in her barely contained fury as he carefully touched Spike's shoulder between the road rash. "Yo buddy, time to wake up."

Spike grumbled and tried to burrow down deeper into his arm. His head slipped off the make-shift pillow and he came up blinking baggy eyes. With a yawn he stretched.

"Come on, it's nearly dark. Time to get back to the ship." Jet offered him a hand. To his surprise, Spike took it and eased himself out of the chair. "Now the only thing is who will carry the device."

Faye glanced at the little compys dancing on the floor. "Don't give it to Spike. He'd order them all to self-destruct."

He cocked his head, mischief in his eyes. "Do you think that would work?"

"Nope nope." Ed did a handstand. "Not equipped with that mode."

"Damn, that's about the only thing these machines could do that I would appreciate." Spike shrugged and clamped a hand on Jet's shoulder. "You take it. After all, you like controlling everything."

"I … whuh? What's that supposed to mean?" Jet spread his hands.

Leaning against the table, Spike tucked his hands in his pockets and gave a lopsided grin. He didn't say one word, just gave that annoying knowing stare.

"Fine." Jet held out his hand. "Ed, show me how this thing works."

"It's so simple a lunkhead could do it." Ed explained as she pushed the device into Jet's hand. She began a long meandering explanation.

Meanwhile, Ein shook his coat off. The compys circled around him rubbing into his side like metallic cats. Ein woofed and the compy leader stood in front of him, eye to eye. Dog and dino locked gazes for several minutes.

Spike, examining what was left of his bloated waterlogged pack of cigarettes for at least one lightable one, caught the exchange out of the corner of his eye. The forgotten pack hung in his limp hand as he narrowed his eyes. What the devil was going on?

At last the compy bowed his head to Ein and chirruped an odd sequence. Once he finished, the pack of five around him repeated the sequence. The pattern was undeniable. Spike stared at the exchange so long the little pack wandered off to the other end of the room, cavorting in loose circles. Ein remained, his intelligent gaze up at Spike, unbroken.

Once he realized he'd been staring, Spike shook his head to clear it. On the floor, Ein snuffed and ambled off with a wiggle in his step. Spike rubbed his eyes. "Clearly I didn't get enough sleep."

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	16. Session 16

_**Session 16**_

Progress through the darkened forest proved slow going, but by far better than risking running into something with teeth and claws. Jet led the way with Ed's rigged remote hanging at his hip. Behind him Ein waddled along with Ed's computer riding on his back. She sang various songs and skipped along beside the little dog with a bag slung over her shoulders. Meanwhile, Spike and Faye silently took up the rear. While Spike curiously eyed Ed's bag, Faye raised her eyebrows at the sharpened shard of metal paneling that hung from Spike's belt loop. The thing resembled a machete. About the time she was considering asking him about it, Spike sauntered up to Jet's side and slashed through the overgrowth that blocked the way. Nothing left to say, the crew resumed the long and winding trek toward the swamp.

Well over half the night passed with only the occasional tangle in the branches, all to Ed's saccharine chorusing. She belted out, "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes. Coming around the mountain when she comes! She'll be coming around the mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!"

Spike cleaned his ear with a finger and joined her, "She'll be shootin' six white horses when she comes."

Immediately Ed picked it up and ran with it enthusiastically. "Shootin' six white horses when she comes—pew pew!"

Faye glared at him. "That's a terrible influence! You know, your entire lifestyle is reckless."

With indifference, Spike kept his eyes front, hands in his pockets. "I thought I explained to you how little I cared what others think."

"Just because you don't care doesn't mean it's not relevant. It's time you started paying more attention to how you effect others around you."

Spike shrugged. He opened his mouth only to be cut off by Ed blurting out "Yippee ki yi yay motherfu—"

Dashing forward, a wide-eyed Spike clamped a hand over her mouth cutting off the incomplete, yet very obvious, word.

Faye's jaw dropped. "Ed, children shouldn't say words like that. Where did you hear it anyway?"

Ed points up to Spike, when he releases her she grins. "Movie Spike-person watched. Cowboy guy chases bad-guy through a building. Blam Blam! In the end the good guy looked a lot like Lunkhead."

Spike scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

Not uttering a word, Faye scowled at him.

"Like hamburger!" Ed threw her hand up in the air and ruffled her own messy hair. "All injured and covered in blood. Spike-person has better hair, though."

Pawing his face, Spike groaned, "Damn it, I thought she was sleeping."

Faye smacked him in the shoulder hard enough he staggered to catch his balance. "You shouldn't let her watch things like that! That really is a bad influence."

Ed hung a finger from her mouth. "Faye-Faye says the bad words too."

Folding her arms across her chest, Faye looked away from both of them. "The fuck I do."

Spike snickered into his hand wondering if just once Faye will catch the hypocrisy. After a minute passed it was obvious that she wouldn't. Ahh Faye. Silence descended as they walked for sometime before Faye cast an appraising eye at their youngest crew mate. "Ed is a maturing girl. Soon she'll need proper guidance into womanhood. Someone with a more delicate touch. That isn't something for brutish men to handle. You guys have no idea what it is to feel like a woman."

Ed skipped along and spun in front of them, "His hand brushes her skin and a red hot throbbi—"

Instantly blushing Faye clamped a hand over the child's mouth. "Aheh, where did you hear that, sweety?"

Spike fought the growing smirk, and lost completely. "Great influence, oh delicate one. So, which one of your erotica novels was that from?"

Faye scowled over her shoulder. Ed stole the moment to twist out of her grip and belted out, "Yippee ki yi yay motherfucker!"

"Ed! Don't say things like that!" She burst into laughter and evaded Faye's attempts to catch her.

Through the dark path, Spike innocently whistled as he passed through their criss-crossing path. He closed the distance and came up beside Jet. The two shared a silent eye-roll.

More dreary hours passed in the night locked forest. As Spike hacked a path through a thicket, Jet glanced up at the sky and cursed. "It's getting lighter."

Between swings, Spike grunted out, "How close do you figure we are?"

Ed dropped the bag and scrambled up a tree. "Shimmer shimmer mucky water!"

"Is there anywhere nearby to hide for the day?" Jet leaned against the base of the tree.

She looked every direction before sliding back down and landing on the balls of her bare feet. "Nuh uh. Lots of stuff like this." She tugged a vine free as Spike broke through.

Spike turned back to Jet, silently waiting for his decision.

"Ed, do you think we could make it if we keep going?"

Ed nodded. "We're not too far off."

Ein placed his paws on Jet's leg and barked, wriggling his whole body.

Looking down at the dog, Spike lifted an eyebrow. "Don't tell me we're going to listen to—"

Jet waved them on. "Let's go."

Spike heaved a sigh and tethered the makeshift machete. "Sure, do whatever the mutt says. After all, who else stands the best chance of escaping detection but a low rider."

Faye grinned and ran a finger down Spike's exposed arm. "Don't worry. We won't let the dinosaurs turn you into a chew toy. Not sure they would anyway. A brute like you would be too stringy and tasteless."

He was about to reply, when Jet offered him a warning glare. Instead, Spike stalked past her with his eyes half-lidded. Overhead the sky lightened at an alarming rate. In moments the creatures that inhabited this world would feast on the available light. He held a finger to his lips and Ed grinned from ear to ear.

Trudging ahead they kept quite. All around them from near and far the ascending tones announced the peril. Every step now became a serious risk.

Spike stiffened. Gears whirred behind him. A second later six compys dashed in front, chirruping all the while. He paused with a foot still hovering above the ground, eyebrow twitching.

Ed ran after them, the now empty sack tied around neck like a cape.

Out in front, Jet turned with a start only to be greeted by the tiny pack. His shock faded as he palmed his face. Without a remark, he pushed further into the woods. Spike joined him up front, as the growth thickened he hacked and slashed at it.

Progress sweet progress, slow as it was. They swore through the thinning leaves they could see it. The gleam of the sunlight off the swamp's water. If the danger weren't looming every one of them would have shouted for joy.

The rumble of ground stole any chance of that. Staying concealed in the foliage, they peered out looking for the source.

Faye whispered, "Do you think this one has teeth?"

Jet cupped his mouth, "How many haven't? Now shush!"

With each massive step, the ground shook. Leaves tumbled from the trees. Branches and even trunks snapped with the passage of the creature.

Holding the machete tight, Spike crouched ready to spring even as a tree crashed mere feet from him.

A deafening roar ripped through the forest. The source—directly above them.

* * *

 **See You Space Cowboy …**


	17. Session 17

_**Session 17**_

That wasn't a tree, Spike realized as a rare bead of cold sweat dripped down his forehead. The surrounding heat soon altered the temp turning it uncomfortable. Spike stared at the metallic leg of an absolutely immense monster. One of four legs, each rivaling tree trunks, that supported a neck seeming to vanish into the canopy. No wonder the ground had shook. The very gears grinding inside were larger than a man.

Spike's fingers on the handle of the makeshift machete grew numb as he stared upwards. A step forward was suicide, a step back could prove crushing. Out of ammo, exhausted and injured, armed with only a shard of metal hardly large enough to take down something this big. No option came to him as his overworked brain petrified.

Not that Faye or Jet reacted any better. Faye backed into a tree and clutched at the bark. Jet's jaw hung open, his feet shuffled between his shoe and bare foot. The robotic beast swung its long neck until it glared down at them. No one moved.

Except Ed. With the cape fluttering behind her, she hung from a tree branch and pointed, "Jet, use the Dino-beamer!"

But Jet didn't so much as flinch. The creature roared.

Six little compys charged around Jet glaring up at the would be attacker. Of course that only made the situation more tense.

"Jet!" Ed cupped her hands. "Use the Dino-beamer on the brontosaurus!"

But Jet, just as fried as Spike, could only stare into the gigantic glass lenses narrowing at the pesky allies.

Grabbing a vine, Ed swung with a Tarzan call down and skidded by Jet. She seized the make-shift device and aimed it up at the brontosaurus. Pressing the button she shouted into the microphone, "Sit!"

The beast emitted a whine before it cocked its head. Slowly, like a cascade of giant boulders down a hillside, the rear end crashed down into the surrounding foliage. The seated brontosaurus lowered its head even with Ed. She grinned and patted between the nostrils. "Good girl. Now, lie down." With a ground shaking thud the beast flomped down.

Spike took a step back. "Now … I have seen everything."

The tiny compys climbed up onto the neck of the brontosaurus followed by Ein.

Jet threw his hands up in the air. "Nope. **That's** still a whole new line to cross."

"Seriously." Spike searched his pockets for a smoke that no longer existed. He only found his lighter. "I just want to get back to the ship."

With a laugh, Ed climbed onto the nose of the beast, careful to keep the device aimed at the head. "She'll take us. Be much faster on her humps."

Faye, Jet, and Spike all eyed one another. It was Faye who spoke, "Are you sure? I mean, one step and we'll be pancakes."

Ed cheered, "Pancakes!" As Ed's hands went up, the brontosaurus raised her head. "Eyyheeeheeee! Ride 'em Cowgirl!"

Swift as he could, Jet grasped the device and death-gripped the trigger, holding it steady on the creatures the head. It stilled as he sighed. "Ed, let me drive. Okay, you two. Get on. It's time to reunite with the _Bebop_."

Faye rolled her eyes and scrambled onto the head. On hands and knees she moved down the neck to the body where the compys and Ein sat. Ed danced up and down the spine ridges.

Spike held back, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"You got a better one?" Jet held the device. "You get up there, I'll hand this over. Just keep it pointed at the thing's brain and think calm thoughts."

"Heh, sure." Spike hoped his racing heart didn't translate into his voice. He was anything but calm. The closest he could think of to this situation was Andy's damn horse! The road rash on his back felt similar enough. The sooner they got back to the ship, the sooner he could collapse on the couch with some good ol' salve.

Careful not to slip on the damp metal panels of the beast, Spike crawled onto its nose. His teeth gritted, he leaned on his elbow, as his left hand wouldn't bare his weight, and reached out for the device. It felt like taking a dead-mans switch for a live bomb. Jet locked eyes with him, and the fear burned just as brightly there. It brought no comfort knowing just how frayed they each were. One slip and this creature could catapult them into another longer walk back—if they could even walk after that.

"Watch the trigger."

"I know!" Spike snapped as his sweaty palm wrapped around the handle. Pressure, steady as his shaking hand could manage it, he took the weighty object. "Got it."

Jet heaved a sigh and waited as Spike crawled backward up onto the head, keeping the device aimed with each of his painstaking efforts across the heated metal. More sweat beaded.

Ed shouted. "Hurry! Wanna go thump thump thump!"

"Shut up!" Spike snarled.

The beast stirred beneath, fed by the agitation.

"Ed, knock it off!" Jet grunted as he climbed up, the difference between the grip of his shoe and toes on the hot metal readily apparent.

By the time he got up there Faye had wrangled Ed and clamped her mouth shut. "It's for your own good."

Spike white-knuckled the trigger. "This piece of tin better take us straight there! I swear I'm going to shred every last one of these thi—"

Beneath their feet, the brontosaurus shifted.

"Easy!" Jet held out his arms to steady himself. The moment he could, he gripped the device and took it from Spike. "Move on down the neck, buddy. Let's get to the others."

"I don't like this plan."

"Neither do I. But if we can get this brute to take us through the swamp, it'll be far better than getting stuck in the mire. Come on, you can take a nap on the way."

Spike eyed him, but at length he heaved a sigh and shuffled down the neck to the main body. As carefully as he could, Jet followed keeping the device level with the beast's head.

Between the shoulder blades Jet sat like he would a horse. He braced the device and called out, "Stand."

The huge beast lumbered up onto all four legs and steadied itself. Gears whirred and hydraulics thumped as it rocked back and forth.

Jet swallowed a lump in his throat. "To the swamp."

Nothing happened. For the longest time the beast just stood still.

"Well," Spike shrugged, "now we're stuck in the air. What were the odds of this."

Faye folded her arms. "Interesting coming from a guy who looks like he played a losing game of jungle strip-poker."

He was about snap back when the brontosaurus moved. One huge lumbering step after another in a rambling pitch that left them holding on. Jet struggled to hold the device on target. But they were in motion and had quite the view. Above the treetops numerous necks rose up and took in their asteroid world. In the distance the waterline glimmered in the bright sun.

Faye gripped the spine-ridge panel. "Seriously, Spike, you look like you had three turns before you lost your boxers to the jungle."

Spike's bagged eyes turned on her. "When we get back to the ship you're washing my boxers!"

She bit her lip, reminded of Jet's bitter promise. More necks rose out of the foliage. " _If_ we get back to the ship."

Ed patted the compys. "Nothing between us and the ship now that we got big Bronto. We'll be there in no time!"

Spike hung his head, the arm supporting his weight trembled. "I hope so. I miss my couch."

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	18. Session 18

_**Session 18**_

With every plodding step the brontosaurus's back swayed. Jet stared ahead fighting to keep his eyes open as they pressed through the endless foliage. Heads of other sauropods and hadrosaurus appeared and disappeared into the greenery. The moss covering their plates made them look all the more realistic. Only the whir of the gears gave away the illusion of life.

The muscles in Jet's hand began to cramp. He traded hands as carefully as possible.

"Yo Spike." He didn't turn his attention from aiming the device up at the beast's head.

The reply came after a short delay. "Hmm?"

"So you are awake back there. I was wondering. You looked kinda tired earlier."

He sighed. "I am, but there's no sleeping with the ground moving this much. At least for _me_ there isn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look."

As carefully as he could, Jet glanced over his shoulder to find Spike resting his chin on a crocked knee, his baggy eyes half closed. Behind him snuggled in a pile were Faye, Ed, and Ein all sound asleep. The six compys played a game resembling leap-frog along the brontosaurus's tail.

Jet wanted to smile, but he couldn't find it in him. All he wanted was to be home on the _Bebop._ "Huh. Well that just doesn't add up, Pard. It's usually you sawing logs while the rest of us … "

Spike's weary scowl silenced him.

Attempting to brighten the mood, Jet waved a hand at the plodding beast. "When you woke up did you think you'd be riding on a robot dinosaur?"

Rolling his eyes Spike grumbled, "When I woke up I was staring up a sheer cliff that I'd jumped from to escape mechanized death scythes wondering if I had died. So umm, no. Riding one didn't cross my mind."

"Uhhh well—"

"Cut the small talk, just tell me we're almost at the swamp and that damn draw bridge."

Jet craned his head. Through the tree line he spied glimmering. "Good news! Look." Just as he pointed his hand began to slip from the device.

The brontosaurus's steady rhythm broke into a bucking.

Spike lunged forward and grabbed the device, locking his fingers around the trigger. "Steady on." In his wide-eyed stare, Jet couldn't believe the weary desperation that dwelt there. The longing for home echoed his own desire.

"Sorry, it gets hard to hold this thing. I wonder why Ed built this so we have to hold it down?"

Spike shrugged, continuing to hold the trigger. "Wonder why Ed does half the things she does. For now I'm just glad we have this thing at all." His voice faded off as they broke the treeline and the brontosaurus waded into the foul swamp. The debris laden mire climbed up the lumbering sides.

Large metallic ridges slid through the water. Ominous red eyes glared up at them from robotic copies resembling immense prehistoric crocodiles. "Did I say how glad I was for this thing?"

Jet nodded and hung on tighter to the back of the brontosaurus. He noted a crocodile eyeing his bare toes and tucked them higher out of reach. Just. In. Case.

"Gah!" Faye gagged. "What's that disgusting odor?"

Her motion stirred Ed and Ein. Ed rubbed her eyes, "Ein did you eat spoiled leftovers again? Smells like you tooted."

Jet ignored the girls and continued to eye the crocodile slinking alongside them. "Spike, do you think those can climb up here?"

"I'm trying not to think about that. I'm just trying to keep our ride steady."

Faye shrieked. "We're in a swamp!"

At that moment, Spike flinched and the brontosaurus half reared up. Globs of rotting vegetation slopped off its legs.

"Faye!" Jet flopped forward and gripped the scaly plates for dear life. "Keep it down!"

Ed leaned over and waved at the eyes in the swamp. "Hello sharptooth!" They vanished into the mire.

Gripping her nose, Faye grumbled. "But it smells horrible!"

"Jet. I need to concentrate, here." Spike gritted his teeth. "Slow and steady. Slow and steady."

"I got it, Pard." Jet held a finger to his lips. "Everyone shut up until we reach the bridge."

The quiet lasted about two seconds.

"Hello sharptooth!" Ed waved.

It took Jet a moment to realize that she wasn't waving down at the water anymore. She was waving slightly upwards, off to their right. He glanced into the distance only to catch the movement as the bright red eye opened. No, not eye … eyes.

Ed grinned. "Ohhh! Sharpteeths!"

Jet swallowed. "Spike, we got company." And the beast was familiar. Three allosaurs waded into the swamp with death laden gazes.

Spike glanced to the side and scowled. "Great. Blinky had family. Hold tight everyone. We're about to set a speed record with one of these things."

Faye shifted, holding a hand toward him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Spike didn't care. He leaned as far forward as he could and shouted, "Run!"

The second the brontosaur lunged, both legs coming up in sequence into an impossible gallop, Ed grabbed Ein and cheered, "Yippee ki yi yay motherfucker!"

Jet and Faye threw themselves down as flat as they could, not even enough air to scream as the hacked brontosaurus took off like a race horse.

The ground thundered as a trio of allosaurs roared into a full charge.

The race for their lives was on. The horizon jerked and pitched wildly.

"Spike, slow down! A fall from this thing might kill us!" Faye shrieked.

Jet shook his head and pointed toward the pack of allosaurs bringing them to Faye's attention for the first time. "A swipe of those claws absolutely will. Don't hold back!"

The brontosaurus thundered onward slashing a wake into the murky swamp. Spike struggled to keep the device aimed at the bobbing head. His finger slipped from the trigger and it made no difference. The beast continued its panicked runaway.

"Hey Jet? Remember when I uhhh mis-entered the coordinates and kinda crash landed the _Bebop_?"

Jet's brow furrowed. "I told you I'd never forget that! Why?"

"You said nothing could be worse than that. Beg to differ." Spike held the device up and shrugged at the others. "Turns out no one is driving this thing." He pumped the trigger and sparks shot out.

All eyes widened. Six compys continued to cling to the plates.

In mid stride the brontosaurus lurched sideways to the shriek of metallic claws slicing through the plates like butter. Faye stared eye level at the snarling allosaurus running full tilt to keep up. Fear drove muscles as she scrambled up over the guys and onto the neck, using the spinal ridges as a ladder.

She couldn't believe her eyes. The towers that marked the draw bridge lay dead ahead of them. "We're saved!"

Jet came up behind her. "Shit! The bridge is up, and on the other side."

PING! Spike slid along the back and slashed the makeshift machete at the allosaur's nose halting it's attempt to pick Ed off the back. "Then we have to get rid of these guys fast!"

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	19. Session 19

_**Session 19**_

"Why do you have to break everything?" Faye yelled at Spike, her hands gripped the metal plates of the lunging brontosaurus.

"I didn't break it!" Spike held up the makeshift machete. "Don't you dare try to blame this on me!" Behind him, Ed clung to Ein, locked in silence she stared at the gnashing allosaur teeth, each one larger than her palm.

The thunderous charge left them clinging as the trio of allosaurs made up lost ground, corralling their target on a one way course towards the bridge pillars.

Faye growled, "At least if we had that damn thing working we could steer this monster!"

Jet ducked his head and held on tight. "Everybody brace yourselves! We're going over!"

The swamp's reign broke into a short run of hard packed dirt, forming a road that lead to a twin set of pillars on either side of a rocky gorge. A withdrawn drawbridge suspended on the other side. Nothing blocked the crazed brontosaur's runaway lemming pathway.

Spike swallowed, "Hope this thing can jump." He braced himself despite the pointlessness of the task. At least it was something.

All four feet of the brontosaur left the ground. The beast stretched out, its flailing legs reached for the far side. A wing and a prayer … about as deliverable as Faye's pick at a pony race.

Like an ill-fated meteorite the massive beast plummeted and struck the cliff-face full force multiplied by gravity. The neck crumpled and sent the back careening into the crumbling rock, a place where a large maintenance door yawned. Fate smiled for the briefest second as one after another of the crew tumbled through onto the floor amidst the debris before gravity snatched their monstrous ride away.

It took forever for the thundering echo to stop, or so it seemed to Faye. She uncovered her ears and blinked into the darkened room. Everything seemed still. Too still. Too quiet.

Bones littered the floor. Skulls pointlessly protected by utility work helmets. Faye grimaced and crawled away avoiding the tumbled rocks. She was in one piece. Nothing seemed broken, just scrapes and a few cuts. "Guys? Hello?"

In the quiet that followed the distant roaring of the allosaurs clashed across the gorge. "Must be males. Do they ever give up?" The distant dinosaurs hardly her greatest concern at the moment. A whimper caught her attention. "Ein? Is that you?"

Staggering across the floor she climbed over the debris and discovered Ein pawing at something. Not just pawing, the little dog was frantic. "Ein, what have you got there?"

A hand, bruised and swollen, wrapped in a black tie. Faye's heart slammed into her throat. "Spike!" She raced over and joined Ein's efforts in shoving the rocks out of the way. Ein intermittently stopped digging and practically jumped up and down on Spike's chest.

Faye blinked for a moment. Beneath the slow trickle of blood from his forehead, in the stillness it hit her, Spike wasn't breathing. "Oh God, no! Not now!" Screw the rocks, air was more important. She placed her hands on his chest and threw her full weight into each push. Spike's limp body completely yielded to her efforts. No, she wasn't going to lose him now. Not here, not now. Not in this pit of hell asteroid.

"You don't get out of this that easy! You're not going to force me to figure out how to bury you on an asteroid! Get back here, Lunkhead!"

Removing her hands she left behind berry stained prints in the center of his chest. Without hesitation she shifted up and locked her lips around his. She breathed into him. His chest rose and fell with each effort. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Ein with his ears back against his neck.

"Damn it, Spike! Breathe!" She locked her lips and blew in again.

Spike spasmed. His eyes cracked open, narrowed, then opened wide in shock. Faye still leaned over his body mouth to mouth, breathing into him. Not a pleasant sensation! He coughed and struggled as Faye leaned back, relief crossed her features as Spike gasped in a breath on his own.

Crack! In the next second he saw stars from Faye's fist slamming into his jaw. "What the hell, Faye?"

"You asshole!" She glowered, heat rising to her cheeks.

Ein whimpered and shuffled backward, vanishing into the cavern.

"What did I do?" Spike levered himself up on an elbow confused at the ache in his chest, the last several minutes missing from his scrambled brain. He mopped blood from his forehead only to find the welling returning. The gash wasn't bad, but enough he had to keep his hand over it. The tie-bandage soaked up the blood. A berry stain in the shape of Faye's hand prints in the center of his chest commanded his attention. Had he … had she … "Faye … what happened?"

Her eyes twitched, the heat intensified on her cheeks. After far too long of a moment she turned and stormed away. "Get your ass up. We have to find the others!"

Spike blinked against the throb of this fresh headache. Before he could get up, one of the compys perched on his leg and cocked its head. The metal feathers bent and dented, it looked frazzled but in one piece. It chirruped, only to be answered by five others.

With a groan, Spike levered himself fully up, still holding his injured hand to staunch the bleeding. The room teetered a bit, only the wall kept him upright as he tried to let the dizzy spell pass. Not the first time he'd wanged his head. The hardest part was always navigating the scrambled memory loss. The last thing he remembered was attempting to wrangle a gigantic robotic stead in a swamp. Where the hell were they? Where was the swamp now? And why the hell had Faye hit him? He rubbed his jaw. That actually hurt. What the heck was up with her?

Once the room spun a bit less he followed the wall along until he stumbled on Jet lying on his side, out cold. Spike knelt down and rocked his shoulder. Jet grumbled and stirred far too slowly. "Wake up, Pard." As Jet moved, Spike glimpsed fresh blood seeped from a new cut the back of his head. When Spike gently pressed his hand against it, Jet hissed awake.

"Owww! What the … ?" Jet blinked and gripped his head bringing the fingers before his eyes to stare at the blood. "Shit. I'm bleeding." He glanced at Spike. "You're bleeding." He glanced around, wincing. "What happened?"

Spike shrugged and sat back against the wall. "I'll tell you when the room stops spinning and I sort out what I remember."

Jet sat up and closed his eyes. "I remember a really rough ride, a lot of yelling, and metal teeth."

"Then, your guess is as good as mine. It's not a typical Saturday night, is it? Funny, I don't taste whiskey shots."

Jet moaned. "Where are we?"

Spike removed his bandaged hand from his cut and sighed as he was forced to clamp it down again. "In a dark room with … what appears to be our future."

Jet followed the gaze toward the skeletons tumbled across the floor. "Comforting."

On the other side of the room Faye bent down and gripped Ed's shoulders. She lay where the collision had thrown her, skidding into a main support pillar. A large bruise blossomed on the side of her head. Her eyes opened slowly. Ein rushed over to her and licked her repeatedly. She squirmed and pushed herself up, hugging the dog with her computer still tethered to him.

"Ed, get up. I heard Jet over there. At least we're all here. But we need to find out where here is and how to get out." Faye's heels clicked on across the floor. The only one of the bipedal crew standing, and she didn't even seem to be aware of that fact. She cupped her hands, "Jet, Spike, I hear you. Get over here."

Jet eyed Spike and shook his head. He dug into the bag with the few scant supplies and took out a bottle of water. "Drink. You're not looking too good."

To his surprise, Spike didn't offer the faintest objection. No one-liner about it not having alcohol. He just popped the top off with his teeth and started to suck it down.

Unsteadily, Jet stood up and keeping a hand on his head he wandered toward Faye taking in the drawbridge's maintenance room and making an inventory. Huge gears lined the walls attached to pipes and platforms, banks of lights and switches, long dark. In the end, he recalled, the _Bebop_ docked in a lake across the drawbridge. They must be on the other side, the right side, below it. At the back of the room, opposite the bright light from the large door, a smaller one with a circular winch lock lay smashed closed by the rumble. To Jet's tactical glance that was the only way out, besides climbing up the gorge wall outside. One glance at Spike proved that wasn't going to happen. Ed's monkey-like swings could probably make it, but she'd be about the only one who stood a chance.

Faye chattered on, waving a hand toward the gorge's wide open door. Jet tuned out her rambling, after all any sound was aggravating his splitting headache. Including that roaring.

Roaring?

Jet turned toward the opening to find a shadow growing—alarmingly! A lever beside the open door painted bright red caught his eyes. Instincts overrode everything as Jet threw himself at the lever slamming it down. A thick metal door groaned as gears engaged. A ballast weight dropped and suddenly the motion intensified. The claws of the allosaur landed on the edge, massive jaws clamped shut through the opening mere feet from where Ed clutched Ein, ramming her back against the support post as far as she could scramble from the threat.

The door's momentum carried it down closing off the monster with a solid clang. Silence did not follow. The enraged strikes of the allosaur clinging to the edge reverberated through the room.

Jet held his aching head against the clanging. "Shit! That was our only way out!"

Faye stared at the barrier. She clasped her elbows and shook her head. "No. There has to be another way." Her eyes roved around the just barely lit room. "A tunnel, a ladder. Where are the fucking air ducts!"

Thud! Shriek! The strikes shook the walls, raining down fresh debris. Their immense wall-clinger apparently had a good foothold.

Deep in the shadows, Spike grasped his head against the auditory assault. This was not helping his headache one bit. All he wanted to do was lie down. A good nap might put his thoughts in the right order. But that damn thumping! At least that crap wouldn't last forever. As soon as the sun went down, so would their annoying assailant. Right down the cliff!

A feverish weight pressed itself under his chin. Arms wrapped around his chest. Spike grumbled at the contact against his bruised skin. "Hey, what the... " He stopped to find the intruder was Ed. Her grip trembled. Nestling up close to Spike's side, Ein stared at her, worry in his eyes. Confronted with the unusual array of events, Spike fought his instincts to pry the child from her painful grasp. "Ed, you okay?" Even in the low light he caught the deep purple bruise growing.

She shook her head, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She kept her voice down so the others wouldn't hear. "This is not fun anymore." She sniffled. "Ed's tired of this. Ed's head and tummy hurt. Dinosaurs frighten Ed, try to kill us." A shudder racked her and she clung to Spike. "Ed's scared!"

Spike gasped at the increased pressure, the bruising of his chest beneath the odd berry-like stain worse than he'd thought. "Can't say I'm having a blast. Kid, why the hell are you coming to me?"

"Cause, Spike-person's dealt with more death than anyone. Go punch those dinos in the nose. Make them go away!"

His shoulders sagged, he stared at his broken hand. "Punching them proved to be a bad idea."

"But you're not afraid of anything."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard." Spike rolled his eyes and then winced. "Ed, do me a favor and ease up down there."

She tried, but a moment later she burst into silent tears and held him tighter. The hot tears dampened Spike's chest. He was trapped in the arms of the distraught child simultaneously tortured by the relentless pounding against the cliff door.

After a few minutes she lifted her head and wiped the snot from her nose. "If Spike-person is scared, we're really screwed."

"Try again. I actually grapple with fear a lot. Specially when things don't go as planned." He forced a laugh. "Fear is an important thing. Keeps us alive and usually out of danger."

"Spike's doesn't work then. Cause he's in danger a lot."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Well yeah, my plans go south a lot. Waaaay south. Ok, more often than not nothing goes as planned. Gotta go with the flow of things, look for other options. If you're never afraid, you're numb. Trust me, Kid, that's a bad state to be in."

Tears traced down her cheeks. She huddled closer to him. "I just want to be home again."

"So do I."

She met his gaze, he noted the throb in the pupils—a sign that her concussion wasn't entirely superficial. Keep her talking, keep her awake. She asked distantly, "Like when you were in prison?"

He flinched, his skin suddenly cold from the memory. Not exactly where he wanted to go at the moment. Trapped in ice or trapped in this sauna of death—both bore equal suckage in Spike's opinion, for differing reasons. "And you think I'm never scared? That's a great example. All that time I lived in fear I'd never see you guys again. Every day seemed like my last. And see? Here we are. Together. In the dark." He winced as the banging punctuated the silence. "In deep shit. But, you're not alone. You've got us."

Ed shuddered against the banging, her wide eyes staring at the door. "Ed needs a hug."

Awkward, not only because of the bandaged hand, Spike struggled to find the right position. After all, she was a young girl, and the only person he'd ever previously hugged... Julia.

It stabbed him though the heart.

"Spike, " Ed muttered, "why don't you know how this works? Didn't your mom or dad-person hug you when you were scared?"

He swallowed, memories pooled in his addled mind. Why was she tormenting him so? She couldn't help it, the terror was real. This was no Faye-acting. Tears stung the corner of his eyes. He couldn't release his grip on Ed to staunch them. "No," he whispered, forced to let a tear roll down into her hair.

"That … that was mean of them."

"That's not it. They weren't there to do it." His breath caught in his chest for a span of several booming strikes. "I was probably about half your age when somebody blew up my home with my parents in it." Raw, rent wide open again. All the pain and loss that his six-year old mind refused to process cascaded down in a searing wound, brought on by the tactile fear of another child... an orphan, just like him. Spike realized how tightly he held her when she gasped in a shuddering breath.

"No wonder you're so screwed up." Ed blinked up at him. "You raised yourself, like Ed did. We're both fuck-ups."

He lowered his head, silent for a long time. Careful to avoid her bruise, he ruffled her hair. "See? That's why we got each other. Do me a favor, stay here and check to see of you computer is alright. Ein? You help her out."

The dog nodded. That still threw Spike, dogs don't nod. Maybe that was the concussion? Spike rubbed his head and staggered toward Jet and Faye, the two studying and bickering over the dark control panel. He kept his voice down. "Jet, I'm worried about the kid."

Instantly Jet fell silent and stared at Spike as if he'd gone crazy. "Say that again?"

Faye blinked, "You? Worried about Ed? Are _you_ alright?"

Spike checked the cut on his head, by now it had stopped bleeding. "Room's not spinning so bad. My head hurts like a son of a bitch, but I've been through worse." He pointed toward the shadows where the faint computer light now shown. At least she was on the distraction task. "You ever seen Ed scared?"

Their shock intensified.

"She's got a bruise, must've hit her head. Who found her? Was she unconscious?"

Faye chewed on a knuckle and timidly remarked, "Yes. It wasn't hard to wake her. She looked fine … why are you guys staring at me?"

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	20. Session 20

_**Session 20**_

Spike and Jet grunted in tandem. Each had a shoulder to one of the rocks leaning against the circular door lock. They warred against gravity inch by inch until at last they passed the tipping point. The rock suddenly shifted of its own accord and abandoned the panting pair as it crashed into the pile they'd already dislodged.

Spike roughly caught his balance against the wall, shutting his eyes tight.

Jet wasn't immune to the effects of the sudden jarring, irritating his aching head. He recovered his balance swifter allowing him the chance to kneel before the door to study the battered mechanism. "Shit! Well, there's no point in moving the rest of this pile. The damn thing is bent all to hell, jammed shut. Happened a while back too, see all the rust in the dents?"

When there was no reply, he glanced up at Spike still leaning heavily against the rusted wall. The moment he opened his eyes his weight shifted awkwardly.

Jet grabbed his shoulders and eased him down. "Easy now."

Spike gulped in the air and rested the back of his head against the wall. "Sorry … it's just … "

"I can see your eyes darting back and forth. How bad is that head?"

"Splitting, not that it matters."

"I thought so, you look like you're about puke."

Spike shook his head very slowly. "Not a chance of that happening. Been too long since I've eaten anything. Nothing to come up." He blinked slowly, his vision settling over the course of a few more breaths. "There, at least the room's stopped spinning. This door is clearly not opening again. Which is a problem since this was only intended way besides the one you closed."

Jet threw a guilty look at the door still under the allosaur's assault. "I shouldn't have closed it."

With a short laugh Spike pointed to the claw marks in the floor, "If you hadn't we might have gotten him to open this door. Sure he'd have enough force for that."

"If he hadn't crushed us by now."

"Got a point there." Spike sighed. "Can't believe he's still at it."

The thunderous booming paused. In the quiet a long shriek crescendoed. Anticipating, Spike and Jet covered their ears. The ground shook at a collision well below them.

Then … silence.

The guys heaved a sigh. Jet clamped a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Break's over." His brow furrowed as Spike started snickering. "What's so funny? That wasn't a joke."

Collecting himself, Spike shrugged, "At least my theory about the nightfall was correct. Alright. I'll take this side of the room, you take the other. There has to be some other way out of here."

There weren't that many walls, yet they combed over them multiple times over the course of hours, floor to ceiling. Entirely at a loss in the stifling air, Jet glanced at Spike. "Not even an air duct?" He scratched his beard. "Hey Spike, you got your lighter?"

In a single motion he flicked it out. The tiny flame bright in the dark room. As he held still, it didn't even flicker—until he exhaled. Spike seemed to catch Jet's drift and lifted the flame, pointing it to various directions in the room. It made no difference. Slowly he pulled the lighter down and closed it, swallowing audibly. The air flow in this room—was dead.

Jet stared at the lighter in Spike's hand. "Just like the ship without life support … this place is closed off. We'll run out of air."

Spike didn't say a word. His own stare distant.

The rapid clack of Faye's shoes echoed in the room. Breathlessly she skidded to a halt. "Ed … I was watching … she was … now she's not … "

As swiftly as they could manage it they darted over to the faint beacon of light, Ed's computer. There she lay, keeled over amidst the motionless six-pack of compys. Sealed from the light source, their batteries drained of power. At least Ed was still breathing.

"I tried, I can't get her to wake up!" Faye knelt down alongside the guys.

Jet reached out to touch Ed's shoulder when, to his shock, Spike lifted the child off the floor and cradled her to his chest. "Wake up, Kid," Spike's voice possessed an urgent softness to it. "I mean it, Ed, you really have to open your eyes."

Faye and Jet raised eyebrows to one another as time passed uncomfortably long without a response. Spike stubbornly held Ed, muttering just above his breath.

Ed groaned, her hand gripped Spike's upper arm and she squeezed it. He continued to gently rock her in his lap speaking softly, "I know it's hard, Kiddo. But remember, we talked about this. You **have** to stay awake."

Jet blinked and mouthed, "Remember? When did … "

At last her eyes opened, taking a few moments to focus. "Ed's head hurts."

Spike nodded. "I know it does. But it's really important."

"Ed wants to sleep."

"When we get back to the ship. After Jet checks you out, deal?" In Spike's arms, Ed nestled tighter to him, hanging on for seemingly dear life. Instead of pulling her off, Spike stroked the hair on the uninjured side of her head soothingly.

Through the confusion of this unusual sight, a burning erupted in Faye's core. A sensation that proved hard to buck as she found herself wishing it was herself in his arms. Her fists pumped at her sides. Didn't Spike hate children? How many times had he muttered he couldn't stand Ed? What was this!

Oblivious to the scathing glare, Spike continued to stroke Ed's hair until she rubbed her eyes. Slowly her hand reached up toward the scab matting his hair. "We're broken."

He nodded solemnly.

"We fix each other?"

He hugged her tighter. "That's what we do." Carefully he sat her on the ground and stood up, his eyes instantly in motion with a new intensity. "Jet, I think we're going about this all wrong. Remember on Earth when we were looking for Faye's tape machine?"

Jet scratched his neck. "The beta player? You mean the one down in the flooded sub basements?" He blinked and looked at his feet. "The _Bebop_ is above us. You want to go down?"

Spike moved to the walls, squinting into the shadows. "There has to be a way out of here. Drains or something."

Catching on, Jet joined him.

Faye tapped a foot. "You're both crazy. You think any of those passages will be wide enough for us to get through?"

Caught up in the new search, neither of them paid her any attention. Faye sat down in a huff and engaged in a pointless staring match at the dead-eyed compys. "Haha, I win." She flicked the nose of the leader and the little bot fell over.

Ein cocked his head and whined. Carefully, Ed picked the creatures up one by one and looked them over, straightening their feathers. She placed them into her sack.

Without a clock, precious time marched onward with every inch of the room searched and researched without a glimmer of hope. Spike and Jet met at the edge of a large console. In turn they shook their heads.

Jet muttered, "This place was built by an absolute moron."

"You won't hear me arguing that. Nor any of these guys." Spike toed one of the skeletons in the floor.

Faye approached with a furrowed brow, grasping her elbows. "Ed's groggy. Guys, I think Spike's right. She's getting worse."

Jet rubbed his own aching head, careful to avoid the scabbed region of his scalp. "If we were back at the ship … Damn it!" He hauled back his booted foot and slammed it into the console. The whole thing moved as he left a huge dent in the panel.

With a sigh, Faye turned her back to him. "Kicking thing's isn't going to get us there."

Spike leaned around the console, peering at the gap against the wall. He pulled out the lighter and his eyes brightened as the flame guttered. "Or maybe for once it will. Jet, kick it again, harder!"

Putting all his frustration into it, Jet slammed his metal boot against the panel. The whole console rocked by the force, toppling backward away from the wall. Behind it wires stabbed into a gap in the plating. Jet grabbed onto the edge of the console, "Come on, let's get this hunk of useless metal out of the way. Spike, you're a genius."

Getting into position he smirked, "That's something I rarely hear in the same sentence."

Faye grabbed on and together they all threw their weight back. In a series of groans and shrieks they managed to shift it enough to rip out the snaking wires. Left behind was a crawl space, narrow and dark. Eddies of air stirred as they peered into the salvation. Faye sized it up. "Jet, will you even fit?"

"It'll be tight. That's not the worst of it. Can you see anything?"

Faye shook her head and shivered. "Our only source of light is open flame."

"We'd probably end up igniting this place." Jet sighed. "Spike, how about that eye of yours. Can you make out anything?"

Spike shut his good eye and immediately the synthetic kicked into high gear. Dim shapes formed in the contours of the dark tunnel. "Well, looks like I get to go first."

Jet grabbed the small sack and swung it over his shoulder. "Faye, you carry Ed."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because I'll be lucky to fit by myself. You're smaller. If you piggy back her you should still fit on your hands and knees." Jet didn't even give her a moment to argue. He turned to Spike who was checking to make sure the make-shift machete would stay flat against his back secured by his belt.

Faye huffed out and stalked toward Ed, whose half open eyes blinked. There was no way she could crawl through the tunnel on her own. Squatting down, Faye held her arms out. "Alright Squirt, get on."

"Ed go for a ride?"

"I guess." Faye's acidic reply covered the trembling. Already her vision tunneling at the thought of the enclosed space. Visions flashed overtaking the room, replaced by the cryochamber. She was already sweaty, but more beads blossomed as she fought to control her breathing. Ed's featherweight on her back jarred her. Stick thin arms clung around Faye's neck, grasping her shoulders. And yet, Ed weighed more than she should have. Something swung a bit in an odd ballast. Metal clanked as Faye stood and turned to the dark hole in the wall where Jet rammed himself in, his hips rubbing and knocking against the sides. To make matters worse the computer toting Ein darted between and scampered directly behind Jet. Faye ground her teeth. "Great, I get to stare at dog butt the whole time."

Ein spun around as Faye got down on hands and knees. His hot panted breath hit her face a moment before he delivered a slurpy kiss.

"Youuu! Arg!" In seconds the darkness swallowed the little dog and Faye wished she was seeing Ein's twerking rump, at least that small comfort. She shuddered and crawled into the tight passage, shoulders already aching at trying to stay low enough not to his Ed's head. Luckily Ed had laid down fairly flat. Her even breathing betraying that once more she had succumbed to the lethargy.

In the cramped tunnel Faye lost count of her modified steps, if crawling on ones knees was a step. Palms rubbed against rough cut rock, sharp in places. Muscles unused to the posture burned. The echoes of the others up ahead shuffling along were the only proof of progress. Slow going at best. A cramp nailed her shoulder. She shuffled forward and hit a soft furry rump. "Damn it, Ein! Get moving!"

But to her surprise, Ein was up on his hind legs, his paws pressed against Jet's thigh.

The burning of her shoulder increased, forming a charlie horse. With a growl, Faye called out, "Can't Spike move any faster?"

"No. He can't." Jet's muffled reply came.

"It's not hard, one hand in front of the other! A baby can do it." Unable to move forward, Faye shifted back trying to ease the discomfort. It helped a little.

Jet held his breath and listened to the cadence. Though he shared Faye's desire to get out here, there was a reason the going had slowed. Spike's movement ahead had been accompanied by an odd sliding rhythm. He knew Spike's breathing enough to gauge that something wasn't quite right. They'd slowed until they came to a halt.

Keeping his voice as low as possible he whispered, "Spike, is there a blockage or something."

"Not exactly." The reply was tight. "You ever tried to crawl on an elbow?"

"Does it get that narrow?"

"That's not the problem. I really wish I still had at least my shirt about now."

Jet cringed. "Can you see the end?"

"I think so. It's a bit brighter up ahead."

"Light at the end of the tunnel. Eh?"

"Let's hope it's not another cliff." Spike's shuffling progress renewed with a grunt.

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	21. Session 21

_**Session 21**_

Spike's back popped as he stretched, finally able to stand upright in the dimly lit room. He rubbed his left elbow and sighed at the grit mixed with a sticky fluid. _Great, more scrapes._ Not that he wasn't expecting that, the confirmation simply removed any doubt. He stepped aside as Jet crawled out of the splintered wood paneling, soon followed by the ticking of Ein's claws and at last Faye emerged grumbling.

"Seriously, this place has no respect for the expensive manicure I'd just gotten on Ganymede. I can't see them but I just know after crawling all that way my nails have to be ruined." Faye lowered Ed to the ground intent on checking their condition. Ed blinked awake, slowly gazing around the shadowy room.

To the ongoing tirade Jet glanced down and wriggled his bare toes while Spike stared at his discolored, tie-wrapped hand. They both rolled their eyes toward one another, their expressions said it all. There was no point in commenting.

Spike peered around the wood paneled room lined with tables and chairs. Dusty centerpieces sported wilted flowers in bone-dry vases. Tarnished silverware sat properly placed for a formal dinner that obviously never happened. At least here the humidity hadn't penetrated so hard. This building must not be as open to nature's intrusion.

In the center of the two story room a large convex dome formed the ceiling high enough to pass beneath it like some strange one-piece chandelier. Even in the dark his eye picked up a shine to it, almost like obsidian.

Jet tapped his shoulder. "Where are we?"

Spike realized this place must be close to pitch black to the naked eye. He shut the synthetic eye and choked down a laugh. Yup, only the faintest of shadows made it though. "Looks like a dining room."

Faye sniffed the air. "Doesn't smell so bad in here. Not like the other places."

"No bodies." Spike made his way toward the center of the room peering up at the strange inverted dome. "This place is deserted. Looks pretty swanky. Which means … " A thought occurred to him, slowly he scanned the edges of the room looking for an expected glint. In the corner he spied it. "Jackpot!"

Jet perked up. "What?"

Spike's footsteps echoed across the dusty stone floor. The others followed close on his heels until they reached the edge of the room. Spike's lighter burst into the gloom and touched a candle wick. The small sphere of candlelight winked off rows and rows of bottles, and Spike's wide grin. "They have a fully stocked wet bar."

Jet groaned into his hand. "I don't believe you."

Already behind the bar, and now joined by Faye and Ed, Spike pawed through the bottles. "Simple pleasures. Best thing about alcohol, doesn't spoil. Course it can skunk, and taste like shit. But at least it won't be like Faye's poisoned berry bush."

"Hey! I didn't know they were bad."

Spike was about to reply when he seized a bottle and stared at the label. "Wow, haven't seen this scotch outside of a first rate casino. Damn, they opened it." One sniff and he gagged. "Yeah, that's skunked."

"Ed's thirsty." She went up on her toes.

Jet reached into his bag. "Sorry Ed, not much back there for you. How about this?" He handed her a bottle of water.

Ed frowned. "Nyyyooo."

"Drink it." Jet scowled.

Faye squinted in the candlelight. "I've never heard of some of these. Looks like an attempt at French, I think?"

"Here's the ticket!" Spike pulled out a single serving bottle from under the counter and wrenched the cap off with his teeth. He took a long deep gulp from the dark stout before coming up for air. "Gaw, that'd be better cold. But right now I really don't care."

Bouncing on her heels, Ed reached up. "I want to try it."

Jet held up a finger. "No, Ed. You're too young. You need water, not alcohol."

The moment Jet looked away, Spike secreted the bottle to Ed. She cheerily took a gulp. A second later the dark liquid sprayed the counter. "Ewww!"

Both Faye and Jet fixed Spike with a stunned stare. He picked the bottle back up and shrugged. "What?"

"You're terrible!" Faye stuttered, "She's just a kid!"

"I was probably half her age when I started drinking."

Hand on her hips, Faye glared at him. "My point exactly."

But Spike one-upped her. He pointed to Ed sucking down the water as fast as she could.

Faye crossed her arms. "There's no way you planned that."

With a smug smile he raised the bottle, finished it off and promptly flung the bottle to crash into the dark room. He returned to sorting through the bottles beside Faye, one by one a collection started to grow on the counter in front of Jet.

Taking a stool, Jet cracked open a high end beer and sipped it. Despite his open disapproval of his shipmates' activity, and the fact his beer was warm, he had to admit it hit the spot. He turned and read a couple of the bottles; scotches, ales, whiskeys, a few wines. After another sip he glanced at the rooting pair. "What do you think you two are doing?"

Spike set another sealed vintage scotch on the counter. "Looting the bar."

"We're not taking this with us."

Faye paused, a bottle hanging in her grasp. "But some of these are … "

"Jet, this is a treasure trove. This is top shelf. A few of these I've only ever heard of, let alone seen." Spike held up a sparkling bottle and narrowed his eyes sounding out the fancy writing, "Pay-see-own Adz-tee-sa?"

Faye grabbed the bottle, her eyes sparkled as she took in the literally thousands of diamonds decorating the glass. "You classless buffoon! Pasion Azteca Platinum! This has got to be Earth's most expensive bottle of tequila, and you can't even pronounce it!"

Spike scratched the back of his neck. "It's all the curlicues in the damn writing. Anyway, shit looks pricey, and it's ours for the taking."

"On Earth in my time this bottle sold for over 3 trillion woolongs."

Spike forgot to breathe.

Jet crossed his arms. "I said no."

Faye leaned on the counter, rolling the bottle back and forth letting it sparkle in the candlelight. "Come on, your bag is almost empty anyway. Can't we take just a few?"

Drumming his fingers Jet mused, "Got something like rubbing alcohol?"

"Probably. Though I don't know why you'd want that when you could have a diamond encrusted bottle of aged tequila!" Faye rummaged through the shelves and in a moment she turned back with a cracked-seal bottle of cheap vodka. The moment she opened the cap the intense odor filled the air. "Phew! This is strong."

"Good." Jet took the bottle and grabbed Spike's left upper arm. Before Spike realized what was happening, Jet slopped a good portion of the concentrated vodka onto his scraped elbow.

Spike wailed out at the sudden burning. The second the shock passed he glared at Jet.

Jet tossed a bar towel at him. "Don't want that to get infected."

"You could have warned me first!" Spike fought one-handed with the towel for a few minutes before he tossed it back at Jet and averted his gaze.

Jet secured it over the scrapes. "Now, if you two are done wasting time, we should get going."

They both whimpered.

"Spike. Put. The. Bottle. Down."

Instead of setting the whiskey bottle down, Spike lobbed it over his shoulder. The bottle shattered against the wall as he shoved his good hand in his pocket and stormed past Jet.

Faye huffed a breath. "What a baby." She went to cross her arms, but something caught her eyes. The candlelight's effect diminished as a warm glow steadily infused the inverted dome.

The others followed her gaze up, even Spike paused to take in the growing light. Rays twisted and intersected in golden arcs throughout the room as it dawned on them. This was natural light.

The inverted dome was a tank.

"Great, sun's up." Spike muttered.

Faye stood beside him. "The sun, but didn't it just set? I mean when that big one fell outside the door? How long were we in there?"

"If someone had been helping we might have found the way out faster."

She flexed her hands, eyebrow twitching. "It isn't my fault you didn't think of it sooner! Besides, what could I have done? No one knew that was back there until Jet kicked it."

Spike half lidded his eyes. "Well, pissing people off is one of your specialties."

Positively fuming, Faye drew her hand back.

Jet grabbed her fist. "Enough. We have more important things to do." He threw a glance back at Ed with her face buried in Ein's fur. She lifted her head and her eyes widened, a shaking finger pointing at the water dome.

Skimming the edges of the thick glass a dozen icthyosaurs stared down at the crew. The shifting sunlight glinted off there metal teeth.

Jet heaved a sigh. "We're not alone anymore."

Ed's frightened squeal muffled as she buried her face back in Ein's bristling fur.

Spike stepped directly below the swarming beasts now frothing as they bustled for the closest point to their prey. Each time their tooth-lined snouts struck the glass a thud echoed. Unflinching, Spike extended his middle finger up at them.

Palming her face, Faye murmured, "Real classy, Spike."

When she looked up, his posture had changed. Rigid with shock, he pointed. She followed the gesture, at the same time Jet did, to a large shadow off to the edge of pool. The shape all too familiar even in the clouded haze.

Jet exhaled. "The lake! We're under the lake! That's the _Bebop!_ "

In the brighter light Spike re-searched the room. "Which means we need to find the stairs." With nothing immediately in sight around the undulating walls, the crew split up to check the side corridors. Storage rooms, restrooms, smaller entertainment rooms and lounges... each turn seemed a disappointment in the maze.

Until Faye's shriek pulled them around a blind corner.

Jet and Spike swung through the doorway prepared for anything as Ed hung back.

In the middle of a stainless steel outfitted room, Faye threw her arms up in the air. "It's the kitchen! Look—food!" A half open cabinet stocked to overflowing stood behind her. On the stove pots and pans lay abandoned with desiccated remains of an unidentifiable meal that had clearly been interrupted.

Jet leaned against the door frame and mumbled, "Ugh, why did she have it make it sound like something was attacking?"

Tucking the machete away, Spike heaved a sigh and padded into the kitchen. There was little enthusiasm as he glanced at the rusty cans, many dented with unreabable labels. Fortunately the chefs had not become the daily special here. No bones littered the floor. Other than the dehydrated remains on the stove this place was fairly clean.

Faye picked through the cans, the labels disintegrating as she disturbed them. "Hrm, maybe this is vegetables, or some kind of canned meat? Hey, Jet could make us some bell peppers and beef. Wouldn't that be great?"

Jet smirked. "There's no power to the stove and besides—"

He didn't get to finish. Faye touched a swollen can and the moment it shifted the thing exploded like a hand grenade showering her with a foul mixture of rotten what-used-to-be tomatoes.

Spike burst into laughter as she hung her hands in the air resembling a startled cat. A startled cat dripping with goo.

With a sigh, Jet grabbed a cleanish towel and handed it to Faye. "Knock it off, Spike. Make yourself useful and look for the stairs."

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it." He wandered back out into the dining room, Ed silently shadowing him.

Faye grumbled as she scrubbed the foul paste from her hands. "The nerve—ooooh! I swear one of these days—" She discarded the towel and yanked out a carving knife from the block.

Jet rolled his eyes. "We both know you're not going to stab him."

She held up the knife. "Do you? Do you, Jet?"

The corner of his lip twisted, he raised an eyebrow. It was enough. Faye lowered the knife and crossed her arms. "When we get back to the ship, I call dibs on the shower."

Jet sighed.

"Guys! Found the stairs!" Spike's voice echoed from a distance.

They spared no time and rushed back out into the dining room to find him pointed to a hidden gap in the wall. At his feet a crushed sign they assumed at one time must have marked the exit.

"That would have been helpful." Faye smirked, the blade still in her hand.

Jet waved, "Let's get moving." The wood and metal staircase winded up in a series of landings, one between each floor. They counted the dizzying array of floors. "Looks like they had a number of basements."

Faye grumbled, "An elevator would be nice."

"You mean like that one?" Spike pointed at the closed sliding door tucked off to the side. Frosted light plates devoid of any symbols in the wall around it. He didn't wait for her answer and started the long trek up the stairs.

Their steps echoed past the first and second landing. A full floor from the basement. On the third, Spike paused and held up a hand. A clicking continued to echo in the silence, the corridor warped the sound, distorting the source.

The clicking overlapped. At least two sets. Jet crept in front and joined Spike staring into the darkened halls, each with one foot on the stair, the other turned in case they had to backtrack.

A shadow stretched out from the flight above them. Spike glimpsed the gleam off the predatory eye, the whir of the focus. He took a slow step back and crouched down to whisper, "Ed." In a heartbeat, Ed clamped onto his shoulders. Spike took another silent step down.

The colorful flash of the crested snout turning in the faint light precluded the bloodcurdling metallic scream. Seconds later another joined it. A set of three talons gripped the railing.

"Run!" Spike turned on his heel and darted back down the stairs with Ed clutching his shoulders. The shadow of the leaping creature growing as gravity seized it.

Jet and Faye dashed forward, tripping over Ein and sending the three of them tumbling onto the next floor.

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	22. Session 22

_**Session 22**_

Spike had a name for their pursuer, he didn't care if this thing was based on some real life dead thing with a data file large enough to choke Ein. This thing was _scrap metal_!

Someone just hadn't told the dilophosaur it had a new classification. The brightly colored bi-pedal beast, standing roughly as tall as Spike but far longer from snout to tail, slashed at the air with death scythe claws. Hydraulic pistons fired off as its taloned feet thundered against the floor launching it like a missile after Spike, only losing speed because of the once polished tile floor.

Lucky for him, Ed's instincts were to cling like a tick. Spike fled back to the lower floor, choosing the familiar layout verses an unknown one. This wasn't ideal since it was the opposite direction they wanted to go. But there'd have been no way to get past the pair on the stairs, so down it was.

Spike dashed into the dining room just out of range of the screeching jaws. Ed's panicked whimpers in his ear reminded him he had to think fast. He couldn't do a damn thing except evasion with her hampering him, not to mention he didn't like her back being exposed to those teeth. Leaping over a table, Spike's foot clipped a vase and sent it tumbling to the floor in a crash.

Right behind him the dilophosaur plowed through the table. In the corner a series of glints caught Spike's eyes. "Ed, hold on tight!"

Vaulting over the series of tables leading up to it, Spike passed under the dome and lept over the bar. With a well timed kick he swept a bunch of bottles down in front. They crashed in a cacophony.

That was quieter than the dilophosaur losing its footing as it tried to jump. The broken liquor bottles lubricated the tile floor. Spike landed on the other side of the bar and scrambled in the narrow space. Ed buried her face against the back of his neck, her heart beat pounding enough that he felt it. He had to wonder if she felt his racing heart too.

There wasn't time to ponder. The dilophosaur slipped and skidded, kicking against the splintering wood of the bar. While it navigated just standing up, Spike remained crouched and took advantage of the debris. The furious shrieks of the dilophosaur echoed in the hall. Followed by a savage strike of its claws as it landed on the bar and crushed it.

Nothing there. Swinging its tail it showered the corner in glass and alcohol destroying the shelves.

The tantrum gave Spike an advantage, the crashing covered his footsteps as he ran across the room trying to remember which one of the many hidden doorways was the storage room. Chemicals and tools would come in handy.

The shattering diminished. Spike swore beneath his breath and gambled, ducking around into the door frame he panted a few breaths before looking up.

The kitchen. He shut his eyes. Great, now they were cornered. The click of the talons on the floor marked the slow progress of the dilophosaur. Only a matter of time before it stuck its head through the door.

Spike spied the heavy cast iron skillet on the stove. A good swing with that could easily crack a skull. What would that do to circuitry? As quietly as he could, Spike moved to the end of the kitchen island and swung Ed down, tucking her from the door's line of sight. He held a finger to his lips. "Ed, you gotta stay real quiet. You hear me? Stay put, and stay silent."

Her quivering eyes didn't blink as she nodded, hugging a sack he hadn't noticed she'd been carrying until now.

Swiftly he ran past the stove and seized the handle of the pan. It was heavy, alright. One solid piece of metal. He pressed his shoulder against the wall right beside the door and waited, holding each breath so he could gauge the steps of their hunter. Cocky as he was, Spike knew he'd only have one shot at this. And worse, it would be a one handed swing.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The whir of the gears droned right on the other side of the wall.

A bead of sweat coursed down Spike's neck, he raised the pan over his head. There was only one way out of this room.

Through the scrap metal!

The bright striped muzzle edged through the doorway, straight ahead. Twin crests along the top of the beast's head pulsed with color as the eyes emerged into the room, searching.

CLANG!

Spike slammed the pan down, it vibrated his bones as metal dented the crests, glass shattered from the eye as the dilophosaur issued a metallic scream and twisted, thrashing against the door frame.

It didn't go down.

Spike's pulse hammered as he took a step back. It recovered and reared up, hissing as it flashed serrated teeth. Claws lashed out. Spike caught and deflected them with the back of the pan, the only thing between him and a walking meat grinder.

Each slash nearly ripped the pan from his grasp. Spike lost ground as it pushed him back against the cabinet. Cans clattered to the floor, a couple bursting open into a foul smelling paste that stuck beneath his shoe.

Spike swung hard enough to knock the dilophosaur back a step. He ducked beneath the retaliatory swing of the claws and snatched up the closest bulging can his quick glance could find. He slammed it into the unshattered eye and grinned at the creature's unsteady gait.

Blinded, the dilophosaur staggered back trying to paw at the mess covering its eye. Built as it was, there was no chance the short arms could reach. Instead it slammed its head against the center island trying to knock it loose, it's other crest broke and flew off, hitting the wall in front of Ed.

"Ahh!"

In tandem Spike and the dilophosaur stiffened. Both turned and gazed at the end of the kitchen island, toward the sound of Ed's gasped breathing.

The creature took a step.

Frozen, Spike stared in horror as it took a mounting step up onto the island, cocking its head, tracking by sound.

"No!" Spike yelled and threw another can. It exploded on contact, caking the dilophosaur's hip with a greenish-black paste.

The creature turned and hissed at him. But the distraction only lasted a moment. It swung back toward Ed's position.

Heat rose in Spike, _not that way_. _Not closer to Ed_. He pitched another can, harder and pegged the back of the beast's head. "Pay attention to me, damn it!"

The dilophosaur spun and roared! Claws shredding into the stainless steel counter top. The shattered eye stared at Spike, the mechanics trying to engage, but dented and hanging up. Slowly, it turned back toward Ed's hiding place.

Spike reached back and found the handle of the machete. "Why are you doing this? You're a machine! You can't eat!" He braced himself, knowing that if this failed, Ed would be in striking range. Not how he wanted it. He blinked. The room glitched, pitching to the side as a searing pain spread from the scab on his head. _Shit! Not now!_

The dilophosaur leaned over the end of the island and slowly turned its head down, blindly staring at Ed.

She inhaled sharply and released a piercing scream.

That sound banished any sense or strategy Spike may have considered. He opened his eyes and ignored the pitch of the room. With a savage howl he launched himself against where he knew the counter top to be. With the make-shift machete raised high he vaulted into the air and came down driving the rough point of the metal deep into the panels near the spine, right in the center of the highest concentration of solar scales.

The dilophosaur shrieked and bucked backward scrambling to keep atop the island as its flailing talons lost hold and dumped it onto the floor.

Enraged, Spike held fast to the machete, his last ditch effort to keep those lethal claws from Ed as the beast thrashed trying to get him off. It spun and slammed against the surroundings, blinded and malfunctioning as Spike wrenched the blade back and forth sawing at anything. Reddish hydraulic fluid oozed between the plates. The ride grew ever more erratic.

The room spun, more than just with the dilophosaur's fitting. Spike clamped his eyes shut and the sensation continued unabated accompanied by the sharp throb. His grip threatened to release. He forced it to remain, pushing the blade deeper with a growl.

The dilophosaur rammed into the counter, jarring Spike as it reared up in an attempt to jump. The effort proved futile. The legs buckled unevenly as it landed, keeling over onto its side in a seizured crash.

Spike's hand lost the grip on the make-shift machete. Beside the prone dilophosaur, he lay sprawled on his side gasping and shuddering.

Ed peered above the counter. Her eyes widened as she saw him. "SPIKE!"

Scrambling over the foul debris littering the kitchen she slipped onto the floor beside him. A pool of red growing. Her white knuckled hands gripped his shoulder. "Spike, no no! Open your eyes!" She sniffled and pounded on him. "It's important. You have to open your eyes."

He inhaled a shaky breath and blindly caught her hand, ceasing the pounding. "Please … don't. I can't … "

"But you told me!" Ed gripped his hand. "You told me!"

He cracked his eyelids. The pupils darted back and forth erratically before he slammed his eyes shut again, shivering. "Room … spinning … "

Ed laid her head over their gripped hands and sobbed. "I'm sorry! I tried to be quiet! Spike, you have to open your eyes... please!"

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	23. Session 23

_**Session 23**_

Only a single ray of ambient light shot through the doorway into the dusty exhibit room full of plastic realistic models. Jet and Faye leaned against the wall, in the heavy shadow. They both stared at Ein, the little dog had led them into this room. Now hunkered down, his ears aimed like sonar dishes out the door.

In the silence the click of claws carried. The cadence wasn't even, one step fell heavier, out of time with the other. But the force enough they knew this creature wasn't a puntable chicken size foe. A shadow rippled through the light shaft, easily the source was close to their height. The silhouette of two crests down the sharply toothed snout turned back and forth, searching. Sickle claws on short arms flexed. It lumbered on the uneven gait, the shadow leaving the light unbroken.

They didn't move as the sound traveled down the corridor they hadn't had time to explore. Miracle enough they managed to dart into the room without being seen, and only because they'd followed Ein from the staircase.

The steps had not yet ceased when a strange chirruping erupted. Silence, then a metallic scream and the sound akin to a compactor at full force.

Both Faye and Jet grappled with their instincts to jump. They held their breath until the crunching subsided and the lumbering steps receded. Ein stepped forward and immediately scratched an itch, his tag jangled. But nothing followed as he promptly trotted back out into the hall.

Jet heaved a sigh, but kept his voice down. "That was close."

Faye peered down the corridor toward the twisted remains that looked something like a modern art sculpture in the light cast through the tank's wall—the dome from below continued upwards. From what Jet could tell it filled the center of this building, providing natural light on all the floors. And there remained many to reach the ground level.

Taking only a few steps toward the tiny corpse, Faye glanced down at the splayed scratches on the floor left from their shadowy pursuer. "Do you suppose it was hunting whatever that was?"

Jet shrugged, making his way back to the stairs they'd come from. "As long as something keeps that thing away from us, I don't care."

Faye blanched. "You're going back down?"

He nodded. "Spike wasn't behind us. There's only one other way he could have gone."

"But we'll be cornered down there." She hesitated, fingers toying with the tied sleeves of her over shirt. "Besides, the lunkhead should have thought of that. What idiot runs back down?"

Undeterred, Jet continued with Ein trotting beside him. "He probably didn't get a choice, Faye. Now come on."

She pointed up. "Why don't we go back to the ship. We're not too far away. We can get some weapons and come back."

Jet turned and folded his arms. "We're all leaving this shit-hole together."

A shiver ran through her as she stared at the thick metal plates now reduced to shredded strips. "I think … "

"You can follow me, or you can stand look out up here. Either way, Ein and I are going down." With a will he turned and started to descend the stairs. Ein leapt down and instantly disappeared.

As Jet's head vanished from view, Faye bit her lip. The empty corridor gave her the willies. Seconds later she swung down the stairs, cursing beneath her breath.

Faye's eyes shifted through the twisting light and the shadows of the icthyosaurs circling through the dome. The room was different. Tables broken in a straight line from the stairs. The path of destruction a river of glass and mixed alcohol led to the bar. She rolled her eyes. "Well, now we know Spike passed through here."

From the middle of the room, Jet glanced over his shoulder and put a finger to his lips.

A few steps more and a foul odor smacked her nose. She exhaled and pinched her nose. That was not at all how this room smelled roughly ten minutes ago.

Ein padded in a circle, rubbing his nose against the assault. The pattern continued until he paused, ears shot up and swiveling. He turned and burst past the more cautious Jet creeping along the edges. "Hey! Ein, come back here!"

A muffled sound caught Jet's attention. Then silence. When he thought he'd simply been hearing things he heard it again, too faint to be able to place it. But the direction was the same that Ein had charged. He muttered to himself, "Wouldn't run toward trouble... not Ein."

Cautiously, Jet rounded the corner into the kitchen. The odor of rotten canned goods rapidly intensified. Jet took a step back and dry heaved, rubbing the tearing from his eyes before he could take in the state of the kitchen. In the ambient light the room's contours revealed the stainless steel surface of the kitchen island peeled back in punctured strips. The walls and counters caked in the shrapnel of canned goods. About to step forward he almost didn't catch the glint of glass where he'd been about to place his bare foot.

 _Where is that damn dog?_ Splattered paw prints led around the corner of the island.

Jet froze, the strange rasping sound emanated from behind it. So strange, like someone trying to breathe and … it struck him, sob at the same time.

"I'm sorry!" A desperate whisper muffled against something. "Open your eyes. You told me, open your eyes."

That broken voice was familiar but it sounded all wrong. Picking his way through the shards of glass and food-poison laced can metal, Jet peered around the island and suddenly forgot to be careful.

Beside the mangled carcass of the dilophosaur pierced by the make-shift machete, Ed practically lay over Spike's shoulder, sobbing into her hands. Sprawled on his side, skin stained red, matching the pool littered with debris he lay in. Spike panted each breath, his eyes clenched tight as he shuddered. Ein stood on the edge of the puddle, his ears folded against his neck.

Ed threw her head back and screamed out, "Don't leave me alone!"

Jet embraced her, even as she struggled against his grip, he tugged her away from Spike. "Hey, hey, Ed. Shhh, you're ok. It's alright."

She buried her face in Jet's shirt, gripping the fabric tightly. "He told me to be quiet. He told me! I tried … but the … and it … and now he … "

Torn between the frantic cries and the emergency before him, Jet pulled her back and met her tear-soaked eyes. "Ed. I need you to hold on for a minute, ok?"

"Fix him!" She fought his efforts to set her aside.

The moment he could, Jet knelt over Spike. "Pard?"

Spike jerked a bit, his right fist tightened. He made a little sound that seemed voluntary.

Conscious, or enough so. Jet ran a finger through the red fluid and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That's not blood." Hydraulic fluid. Leaning forward his next words caught in his throat as he glanced at the other side of Spike's head. "But—that is. Shit!"

Faye stood in the doorway, covering her nose, her own eyes tearing from the odor. "Damn it, Spike! We can't take him anywhere." Ed's whimpered cry in response to Jet's declaration caught her attention. She stepped into the room around the corner and her eyes refused to believe what she saw.

No … Spike couldn't be down. Not him. Like Jet said, they were all getting out of this together. It was a joke. Right?

Reality fractured. She reached for the only crutch against the brutal world she'd ever depended on … "Same old Spike, trust him to pick now for a nap."

Jet didn't even glance up at her. Instead he grabbed Ed's wrist and locked eyes with her. "I need you to find me a towel. Clean as you can. One big enough to wrap around his head."

As Ed staggered to her feet supported by Ein, Faye denied the terror building inside and snapped, "Tch. It'll have to be a big one."

Jet stiffened and eyed her. But he said nothing, instead he turned back to Spike and leaned closer. "Can you open your eyes?"

Spike rasped, "No … can't … "

Jet coaxed him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Try."

The second the lids cracked, the darting pupils told the whole story. He clamped his eyes shut again, whimpering.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No." Spike's head shook, he hissed and shifted his arm as if to grab at the reopened scab. The effort left no coordination. "Jarred it … when fell … hurt … spinning … can't stop … " His voice hitched. " … sorry … "

Jet gripped his shoulder. "Don't move, buddy. You need to lie still."

Ed handed over a towel and crouched down beside Jet, her arms around Ein.

Carefully Jet wrapped and tied the towel around the wound, letting Spike's head rest back in the crook of his arm. "I mean it. Your life might depend on lying still til this passes."

Faye grumbled, "We should be getting out of here."

Jet glanced over his shoulder. "We will, once Spike can stand again. Watch the door in case that thing comes back." He noted the twisted beast on the floor looked as though it would match the shadow of the one that stalked past them. If it had challenged Spike's skill set, Jet preferred not to cross paths. After all, his own head ached. One wrong move and he could wind up on the floor.

Ed's yelp brought him out of his thoughts. "There's … there's another? No! Nonononono!"

"Shhh, it's ok. Ein let us know. Just keep close to Ein." Jet turned back to Spike to find no remarkable change. Shit, the clock was ticking, and he had no answers.

Faye folded her arms. "Pick his lazy ass up, carry him."

The heartless remark felt like scalding oil to his frayed nerves. Thrashing in the powerless void, he snarled at her, "Because jolting his head around right now might kill him! Spike needs to let this pass."

Faye stamped a foot. "And in the process it leaves us in a dead end!"

Whimpering, Ed buried her face in Ein's fur.

Jet bit off each syllable. "Don't use that word." A rasped whisper commanded his attention.

"Jet … " Spike tried once more to unsuccessfully open his eyes. "I can't … do this again … if I do …" He hissed. "I'm serious … "

"Don't." Jet swallowed, trying to form a plan, panic welling as the gravity of the situation dawned on him, even before Spike uttered the next unthinkable words.

"I'm … tapped … out."

No, Jet couldn't show the girls. He couldn't let a crack in the facade show. Not now, he needed to lead, not fold to the floor under the weight of that blow. Jet shook his head. "Stay still til this passes. We're getting out of here together."

Spike's fist pumped. "Slow … too slow … I'll be a target … " He opened one eye, the pupil still twitching. "If they do … leave me."

"Never!" Jet growled, far harsher than he intended. "Just stay still and shut up for a change." Reaching over Jet struggled to pull the machete from the dilophosaur's corpse. Jammed in tight, the dogeared blade tugged out wires and lines with it, a great mess bringing with it a series of rechargeable batteries. Spike had nailed and effectively shredded the power core. Now they knew where it was, just below where the neck connected to the body. That information might prove helpful.

Faye leaned in the doorway, staring out into the still dining room. Her heart pounded. First Ed de-stablized. That was tricky enough to navigate. But … Spike? Was he really down for the count? She hugged herself. _No, he can't be. Wouldn't be. Jet's ok in a pinch... but we don't even know how many floors it is back to the Bebop. Spike just needs to rest, and he'll be alright. Right? Right?_

Jet pulled the knives from the cutting block. It seemed to be the only obvious weapons here. Movement drew him back to the island.

Slowly, very shakily, Spike pushed up from the floor leaning heavily on his right arm. He blinked, holding his eyes shut for long periods of time. Not rushing him, Jet crouched at his side and waited until Spike glanced up. "How serious are we talking?"

Spike lowered his gaze, crestfallen.

With a sigh, Jet waited for him to look up again. "Can you manage?"

Spike kept his head level and swallowed. "Better now … if I go slow, no sudden movements … should be alright."

Jet held out his arm and helped Spike rise to his feet, wobbling slightly, taking a painfully long time to maintain balance. Jet didn't release until he was certain. "If you're sure, you stay in the rear with Ed. Faye and I will take the lead."

Grimly, Spike mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Placing his hand on Spike's shoulder Jet glowered, "For what? Saving both of your lives? You really did hit your head hard. Now, let's get going."

Jet remained close to Spike as he took his first shuffled steps toward the door. Jet blinked as he realized Ed shadowed Spike's other side, her palm resting on his lower back.

Out in the dining room they paused to listen. Nothing except the patter of the icythosaur's muzzles against the glass dome. The sound drew Spike's wandering gaze. He leaned against the door, staring at the massive barrier that held the lake back and muttered, "You know, there's a much faster way. We bring the _Bebop_ to us."

Faye and Jet both stared at the dome. Jet handed a couple of the knives to Faye. She shook her head, "Brilliant idea, Lunkhead. You do realize we'd drown right?"

Jet tried not to flinch at Spike's horrible miscalculation. "She's right. That's a huge lake, and we're at least several stories underground with nowhere for that water to go."

Spike heaved a weary sigh. "I'm just sick of watching those grinning fish."

Faye dropped her head into her hand. "Damn it, Spike. Haven't you destroyed enough?"

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	24. Session 24

_**Session 24**_

Three floors up from the dining level basement. They paused, staring at the rays of light through the lake playing in the halls. The surface lay at least three, maybe four more, stories higher. Some strange piece of twisted metal art deco crap hung in a horizontal line from the ceiling. It didn't escape Jet's attention as Spike leaned on the railing still looking a touch paler than normal.

"Whoever built this place sure liked water." Jet mused in a whisper. After all, they knew at least one more of those bipedal brutes roamed the halls somewhere, no telling if there were more. "Wonder what this building was originally for."

Faye drummed her nails against her upper arm glancing down the hall of doors in the deserted building. The only movement was from the icthyosaurs circling the inverted dome in slow laps. A dusty plaque on the wall caught her attention, she brushed it off to reveal the engraved letters CALI HOTEL. A chill ran down her spine. "Welcome to the hotel California..."

The guys stared at her, unfamiliar with the reference, classic rock Earth music a bit lost on them.

Her hollow whisper carried down the hall. "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

Beside Spike, Ed gripped his right hand absently. He didn't look, so as not to draw attention to her nervousness. Instead he squeezed her hand in acknowledgment.

Ein padded out in front of them, his head cocking back and forth as he fixated on an object halfway down the hall. A bright splash of color, green and turquoise drew him. Not so much the color, the shape. The closer he got, the faster his paws scrambled.

Jet clenched his teeth. He didn't dare call out for the dog. The only way to stop him was to follow.

There in the cracked open door, Ein spun around in a tight little circle lightly tossing and catching a small star studded rubber ball. His tongue stuck out beneath it.

Jet smirked. "At least somebody is having fun." He knelt down and held out a hand. "If Spike can't keep a bottle of whiskey, you can't take the ball. Give it."

Ein's ears folded back, his best puppy eyes on display. A trail of drool flowed around the ball still lodged in his mouth.

"Ein. I mean it." Jet tipped his head. The stern expression vanished as his jaw dropped. He reached out a hand and pushed the door open wider.

The silent staring drew the others from the stairwell. Spike ambled up to his side, Ed still only his shadow with a pulse by his right leg. Faye came behind Jet and peered into the thin ray of light. "What did the mutt find?"

The twisting rays danced on the fur of a plush toy bear, bead eyes standing on an eternal watch out the cracked door. The bow around its neck wilted and flecked with mildew.

That was only the start. Behind, amidst the shelves of toys in the once cheerily painted room, bones. A substantial pile of bones huddled together still clad in stained clothing. All of them small with arms wrapped around as if to comfort.

"There were … " Jet rose to his feet, " … children here."

Faye threw a hand in the air. "The door wasn't locked. Why did they stay here?"

Spike swallowed, his voice cracked. "Someone told them to. They planned to come back … and couldn't."

Pumping a fist, Jet ground his teeth in impotent fury. What could he do now? Of course there had been children here. This place was an amusement park, meant for families. Why hadn't it struck him until now that the bones were not strictly adult crew responsible for this disaster? Had this hotel been full? How many?

A light elbow to his rib caught his attention. Spike locked eyes with him. "We need to get going, pard."

Awash in the blow of this revelation, Jet struggled to say something when he caught Spike's subtle gesture—he slid just his eyes toward Ed. Wide-eyed and pale as a ghost, she clung to Spike's arm having left red streaks from the pressure. She trembled like a leaf.

Jet composed himself. "Ein, last time. Drop the ball." He turned and they all started back toward the stairs.

Squeek … squeek … squeek.

They froze. The ball's impact from being dropped ceased the sound as it rolled to a stop. No one, not even Ein, moved for a span of several heartbeats. Nothing.

Then … Click … shiff … the sound came from near the stairwell.

Jet waved a hand and they pressed into the door of a storage closet, clustered in the dark behind the door. Each step brought back the image of that shadow from before. It was the same hitched step. One glance Spike's way and he glimpsed the recognition. Spike'd be observant enough to know. It was the same damn model.

Jet practically mouthed the words in the faint strip of light. "We've got to get to those stairs."

Spike responded in kind. "You'll never out run it. I nearly didn't. And only did because I threw shit in its way. There's nothing out there to hamper it."

"It's lame."

"Those are odds that not even I will gamble on."

That struck like a blow. "We need a distraction."

The footsteps came to a halt. Sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuuukkk!

Jet peered out into the hall where the dilophosaur leaned over with its head cocked to the side staring at the ball. In a slow step it depressed, the ball once more mimicking the sound of a grievously dying animal. The dilophosaur snarled and snapped up the ball between its teeth popping it.

Finished with the ball, it flung the remains against the wall. The shredded rubber landed in a heap in front of their door. The motion of the icythosuars swarming at the glass caught its attention. It turned and released a metallic scream wiping the swarm into a foaming frenzy tapping against the glass.

Ein shuffled in the shadows, mourning in his eyes as he gazed at the sacrificial ball.

Spike eyed up the dilophosaur's position, even through the headache he desperately tried to muster enough concentration. The toy had drawn the beast from blocking the stairwell. But only just. The dilophosaur was now a couple doors away from them. A mere lunge and they would join that ball. "Jet," he mouthed, "we'll never make it unless you stop that thing, permanently."

"Fight it?"Jet gawked.

Spike pointed to the swarm. "Not leaving anytime soon."

Faye gripped the hilt of a knife blade, her stare locked on the beast aggressively displaying. The left hip of the creature had a huge chunk of bent metal twisting from it. Teeth marks puncturing the edges. The source of its limp. But that did nothing for its own teeth. It picked up a pot with the brittle stems of what used to be a plant and threw it against the glass with a resounding thud. That only succeeded in enraging it further as it couldn't reach the icthyosaurs on the other side. They weren't helping as more of them joined like goldfish starved for stimuli.

Jet searched the closet hoping for something, anything. Brooms and mops, bottles and leaking cans lined the shelves, but unfortunately nothing strong enough to dent that beast out there. What were they supposed to do? Stab it? He pulled out the make-shift machete, the scarred metal winked in the shaft of light.

Spike had. But he couldn't do it like his partner.

Jet exhaled. "Ok. It likes motion. So we'll see if we can't get it to chase a bottle all the way down the hall. Once it's facing the other way, Spike I want you to take Ed and Ein to the stairwell as fast as you can."

Faye blinked. "Wait... we? We who?"

Jet grabbed a bottle and handed it to her. "You and me. Now open that up." He dug through and pulled out a few other items. He offered Spike a quick glance to make sure he was ready to go.

Spike offered him a quick grin and pointed to a bottle, "About half of that, recap, and throw."

Faye held the container away from her as Jet followed the instructions. "Half of what? What is this going to do?"

Jet tightened the cap and immediately heaved it out of the door. The bottle bounced along the floor. Immediately the dilophosaur turned and in a lurching stumble lunged at the target. Even lame it covered the distance and just as it closed its jaws around the bottle, the cleaning-closet bomb went off. The cap wedged between the top front teeth. The dilophosaur reared backward, clawing at its mouth.

Spike hadn't waited for the explosion. The moment the creature turned he slipped out of he door pushing Ed in front of him. Ein scampered beside them, the trio moving silent and smooth against the wall. It wasn't as swift as Spike would have liked, but if he blacked out now … there'd never be a later to regret pushing himself. He couldn't look back. He had to trust that Jet and Faye would follow when they could.

The dilophosaur managed to catch a claw on the cap, dislodging it. The spinning cap kept its attention for a moment, before it spied other motion. It whipped its deadly gaze to Jet and Faye halfway to the stairwell.

Like a deer in headlights, Jet froze. Spike's decree echoed in his mind. He knew in his heart, he'd never make it.

Faye's eyes darted around the hall. If that creature made the mad dash its eyes promised they would be gone in one swipe of its claws. It stood as tall as Jet, and made of metal—that didn't take a genius to know it was heavy. Not even together did they stand a chance of grappling it. Her eyes locked on the strange metal art deco on the ceiling. They followed the stay line holding it in place above Jet's head.

One shot. Gripping the knife, she yelled, "Jet, give me a boost!" She darted at him.

The moment she did, the diplophosaur took the first thundering step accompanied by a harsh scream.

Jet blinked, but cupped his hands together and knelt down. In midrun, Faye planted her foot in the cradle and pushed off as Jet propelled her up. Knife first she slashed at the twisted metal wire and received the satisfaction as it sliced almost all the way through. One of the wires caught her bare shoulder, slicing skin just as easily as the knife. The remaining pings of the final two releasing filled her ears before she tumbled onto the floor. No time to care for the wound.

The rafters groaned, one taking the weight that two had shared. The metal art swayed and pitched forward into an arc intercepting the charging dilophosaur, spearing it in the chest and driving it tail first backward. Denied the hunt, it screamed in fury!

Faye and Jet scrambled to get up, turning in tandem to see the moment just before the beast collided with the dome. Spiderweb fractures exploded as the shockwave embraced the projectile, art and all, into the water foaming with frenzied icthyosaurs.

What went in provided a way out. Momentum spent, the cracked dome released a torrent of water across the floor wiping the victory smile from Jet and Faye's faces as they ran for their lives toward the stairwell, never more relieved to see Spike crouched up on the next flight, his arms shielding Ed as he stared in awe at the tsunami.

With the water threatening to wash them down, Jet and Faye scrambled up the steps, not stopping until they were all safe on the next landing.

Spike blinked down at the stair well swallowing the lake. "Nice work, Faye. I could have saved us a lot of trouble."

She glared at him and tried to raise her arm. It stung, leaving her hissing.

Jet grabbed her upper arm, wiping off the blood. "That's pretty deep, here let me—"

The floor buckled and cracked.

"Shit!" Jet pointed up. "The foundations weren't meant for this. Move it!"

As swiftly as possible, with Jet at the rear watching over the crew, he pushed them up the stairs. Nothing else raced them in their flight out into the main hotel's lobby. Columns buckled and cracked, fractures grew along the floor as they hustled for the glass doors, panes long since broken and ground beneath metal talons.

There alongside the maelstrom of water piercing the lake, the docked _Bebop_ leaned with the pull of the current. Jet waved them forward, though they hardly needed the urging, "Let's blow this joint."

Spike, mischief in his eyes, held back long enough to remark, "Literally?"

* * *

Jet jumped into the chair on the bridge and punched through the startup sequence. Halfway through, he glanced over to see Spike crouched in front, Ein and Ed right beside him clutching a sack. He didn't have time to ask questions. The pitch of the ship continued to worsen as the level drained down. If he cast the moorings they would be adrift in the current. Faye grabbed the chair behind him. No one said a word as he flicked the switches.

"Come on, start!"

She should have fired up by now. Had she been sitting too long?

Faye tensed, "Uhhh Jet. We got incoming!"

"I'm working in it!" He glanced up to find a T-Rex curiously approaching the edge of the lake. That wasn't good.

"Start, damn it!" Jet punched the panel. The _Bebop_ rumbled to life.

The rex crouched into a hunting posture, locked on the motion of the ship correcting the tilt under its own power. The dinosaur lurched closer.

"Oh no you don't." Jet glared out the front window down the plane of the flight deck. "Nobody scratches my girl!" Moorings released, he pulled back and the ship shot into the air leaving the terraformed dome within a minute.

Out of reach of the denizens, Jet brought her around. The crew stared for several minutes at the blight if green jungle clinging to the asteroid, until at last Spike, his eyes still on the amusement park, remarked acidly, "You still haven't listened to my suggestion to put guns on this tub."

"This tub is my ship. My ship, my rules. And no, I haven't."

He flexed his right hand. "Well that's just great!"

Jet threw a hand up in the air. "You want to destroy it? I'm not stopping you!"

"No. There are two things stopping me from delivering the death blow to that land of mechanical trash compactors!" Spike help up his left hand. "One, _Swordfish_ doesn't fly one handed. And two, the g-forces getting out of the hanger alone—"

Faye slammed her hand on the back of Jet's chair. "Open the hanger door. Dinosaurs about to get a second extinction."

Spike and Jet blinked at one another as Faye stormed out of the bridge without a backward glance.

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	25. Session 25

_**Session 25**_

Faye circled the asteroid, a missile one button away from firing and ending this damned place. Staring at this cursed place she found an affinity to Spike's distaste for amusement parks. There was not enough space on any network to hold the vitriolic review she longed to post about this place. The best she could do was make certain those things never harmed anyone ever again.

Over the com from the _Bebop_ hanging well back from the blast zone, Jet's voice broke her concentration, " _Aim for the center at the rock beneath the terraforming._ "

She shifted the _Redtail_ putting the area in the cross hairs.

Before she could pull the trigger, Spike's voice interrupted along with a curse from Jet, she assumed that as usual Spike had shoved his way toward the mic. " _That won't be enough. Look, there's a series of cracks. Aim for that weak point to make sure it finishes the job._ "

" _No, to get the best impact you want the most mass resistance. That's the center point._ "

" _Really? And what makes you an expert on blowing shit up? I'm the one with the track record for the most damage._ "

" _Considering I'm the one who pays the fees for your recklessness, that's not a good thing to brag about … but that's not the point, Spike. Now get away from the mic._ "

Faye rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "Who do they think they are? It's not exactly a huge asteroid." To the sounds of the guys scuffling in the cockpit, she split the difference between the two plans and aimed at an arbitrary spot. "Besides, I'm the one doing the work. It's my choice how the death blow is delivered."

She flicked off the safety cover on the trigger and narrowed her eyes, counting down to herself. 3 … 2 … 1.

The bright flare of the thruster cutting a path to its target warmed her heart. Silence from the _Bebop's_ bridge as the missile closed the distance. It slammed into the asteroid in a blinding flash of light fingering out into fissures. A moments delay and then …

Boooowwwwwwoooooooommmm!

Debris flew out in all directions. Cheers filled her speakers as she smiled. "That puts an end to that."

Clunk! Tap tap tap.

Faye blinked. Along the cockpit bubble an icthyosaur, still in one piece and functioning, flapped. Its eyes wide in confusion. She backed up her ship slowly and watched the momentum carry the robotic monster out into space … along with bits and pieces from the terrestrial species. In the distance a few icthyosaurs, shielded from the blast by the water, jerked around with ineffective efforts to swim. They would continue on their initial trajectory.

Another day on the _Bebop_ , Faye just watched in silence before turning back to dock in the open hanger.

* * *

The halls of the ship echoed with Faye's footsteps. After docking she'd sauntered up to the bridge preparing to gloat about her kill shot … only to find it deserted. Wandering down the stairs, she paused in the living room. Ed sat on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Beside her Ein lay napping, freed from the task of carrying the computer. Ed's foot touched the device, but she showed no interest in it after having unstrapped it.

Faye leaned on the railing. "Ed, where is Jet?"

Ed's eyes drifted up towards her. She muttered, "Shower room."

 _Of **course** he is, but I called dibs. He knew that!_ She tapped her fingers on the railing. Well, she could brag to Spike then. "And where is that lunkhead?"

Ed tugged the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Shower."

Faye's knuckles whitened. "That jerk will drain all the hot water!" It struck her a moment later. "Wait … they're **both** in the shower room? At the same time?"

Ed nodded slowly.

Certainly the repurposed room, which Jet had added a freestanding tub to, was big enough. Since _Bebop_ was an old fishing boat, the shower room was originally designed to hose down the fish stink of a full crew in a rush. But still, there was a thing called privacy.

With a yawn, Ed muttered, "Jet said he wanted to make sure Spike didn't end up face down. Spike told him that he was worried Jet would end up the same. So they're making sure they both don't end up breathing water. It's what they said. Oh, and you and I are supposed to … cause, well, yeah, I couldn't go with them since I'm a girl and it's not proper."

Faye growled. "But I said I got the first shower! Oooooo! I swear those two did it just cause they were trying to piss me off. Honestly. Whatever happened to ladies first?" Sitting on the chair in a huff, Faye tapped her foot waiting to unleash her fury. The moment that the door in the hall below opened they were going to get it. Time ticked by, Faye's scowl darkened. "Sure taking their time. They'll leave nothing but ice cold water at this rate!"

At long last the squeak the hinges announced the door opening. Faye reached down and tapped Ed. "Come on. I'm about to give them a piece of my mind!" Storming down the stairs she took a deep breath before rounding into the room … to find it empty. "Where the … ?"

Ed wandered in straight below one of the nozzles and turned it on, still fully clothed as the water poured down on her. Dirty rivulets coursed down the drain.

Faye stared in surprise. Her skin prickled with the cold, the room should have been a sauna, instead it was almost chilly. Steam billowed around Ed. Steam … but that meant, there was still hot water. The amount of time the guys were in here that should have emptied it.

She turned the knobs and let the water run on her palm. Blessed warmth ran down. Not wanting to waste this, she quickly stripped. Glancing over at Ed she remarked, "Are you going to shower in your clothes?"

When Ed barely acknowledged her, Faye reached over and plucked the shirt off. Ed offered little resistance, more interested in watching the dirt run down the drain.

"Work with me Ed." Faye handed her a wash cloth and some soap. "You're old enough to do this for yourself." With a smile, Faye sought the comfort of the falling water, soaking up the heat pounding on her sore muscles. The cut on her shoulder stung, and grew worse as she scrubbed it with soap. Soap that filled the shower room with perfume as the rank odors dissipated.

By the time she finished, there was a chill to the water. She shut the squeaking valve off. To her surprise the sound continued after her hand left the knob. She cocked her head.

No, the sound was coming from outside of the room. A high pitched whining that droned into a scream.

Faye grabbed a towel, she couldn't very well wander out there without protecting her assets. Not that she felt eager to dash out. After all, she'd finally gotten her muscles relaxed. And her nails were a mess from all that crawling. She needed maintenance.

Drying herself with a fluffy towel she noted that another was missing from the stack, wet prints led out the door. Ed was gone, her dirty cloths lying where they'd fallen. At least she'd shut the water off. Wrapped tightly in the large towel, Faye picked up her over shirt and wandered back to her room and shut the door determined not to exit until she was presentable.

Over an hour later she emerged, dressed and tidy, all except the nails. She'd managed to remove the old polish. Mounting the stairs she entered the living room. Ed, her head wrapped in a bandage, lay snuggled in a blanket on the chair. Her eyes closed in exhaustion, one arm wrapped around Ein sleeping in a ball against her. Spike, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and swathed in bandages that oozed healing salve, lay on his side on the couch. A bottle of whiskey with only a few mouthfuls left on the floor, the stem gripped loosely in his right hand. His left hand now dressed in thick layers of bandages, only the purple bruised fingertips showing. The black tie that bound it, stained a dark maroon, hung slightly off the table. Strewn across the table the medical scanner and fully raided medical kit looked just like the end of a typical mission.

Jet, now in cleaner clothing, sat on the edge of the table by Spike's couch. A bandage around his own head. He blinked up at Faye and held out a hand toward the edge of the table. "Take a seat. Let's get that cut looked at."

"This? It's nothing—" the moment she shifted it, she hissed.

With a no nonsense look, Jet waited for her to cross the room and sit down on the table. The room was quiet. Only Spike's soft snoring punctuated the time. Faye glanced at him. Was he really out or just faking it to annoy her?

Jet inspected the wound without touching it. "Doesn't look too bad. It's deep, but not into the muscle. Too long ago to close it up. Have to leave it open to drain."

"Drain?" She lifted the shoulder, tying to get a glance.

"In case it gets infected. We were exposed to a lot of stuff down there. Did you clean it well in the shower?"

She nodded as Jet smeared some goop onto the wound. It stung, but Faye managed to only flinch. He grabbed some gauze and started to wrap it.

"It'll hurt for a while, but it'll heal in time."

Faye once more let her eyes drift to Spike. "Well, we've sure seen proof of that. The idiot."

Jet pulled the bandage taught and clipped it in place with a grunt.

"That lunkhead, bet he was the one making all that ruckus." Faye folded her arms across her chest. "Spike is such a baby. All that screaming."

Jet tossed a few things back into the kit. "I'd say he handled it rather well..."

Faye continued right over him, "His just medicine if you ask me..."

" … considering … "

"... for being reckless. I mean … "

"I had to re-break his hand."

"... every time he leaves ..." Faye paused, her gaze darted between Spike's hand and Jet. "You **what?** Why did you … Jet! What the hell? Why would you … I thought you were his friend!"

Jet fixed her with a stern expression. "I did what I had to to get the bones back in place so this time it will heal properly. There wasn't another way, and he knew it. I don't care what mettle you're made of, anyone would scream undergoing that. Sedation was out of the question because of his recent concussion. I'm not a doctor, I won't risk killing him."

Her toe ticked the near-empty bottle. "He's sure as hell knocked out now!"

Jet nodded. "He drank enough whiskey, even for him, to get some deep sleep."

"But … rebreaking his hand? Damn it!"

"A procedure that helped him." Jet fixed her with a knowing glare. "At least I didn't hit him."

Faye bit her lip and looked everywhere in the room but at Spike. "Hit him? Who would do that?"

"That's what we're both wondering." Jet pointed at the scanner. "Along with the hairline fractures in his chest right around where your berry stained hand prints were. Not to mention the bruise you left to his jaw. That much he remembers. There aren't too many explanations for that."

Faye flushed. She attempted to retreat.

Jet's hand closed around her wrist, preventing her evasion. "Why didn't you tell Spike you saved his life?"

"I … but that's not … I didn't … "

Jet shook his head. "You know Faye, you tease him all the time, call him an idiot. But he's perceptive, he's the one who put the pieces together and figured it out. All except why you socked him in the jaw. Not the best move for somebody who just regained consciousness after CPR." ...

* * *

Seated on the couch, Spike took another swig from the whiskey bottle. His freshly bandaged head lay back as he heaved a sigh. "I know that's what happened. It's the only scenario that remotely adds up. I opened my eyes to what felt like someone dancing on my chest, unable to take a breath as air was forced in me. There was Faye, her lips on mine. The next thing I know she's panicking and backing up. Then she socks me. As soon as I could focus my eyes again, I saw the berry stains. Had to wonder the whole damn time. Not like I could ask her. If she'd lost her shit again hit me … well, that wouldn't have ended well."

Jet stared at the data from the scan. "The fractures around your sternum support that. Hairline. You're a fast healer. Those'll probably close before your hand heals."

Spike heaved a sigh and glanced down at the mess. He took another deep gulp.

"You ready for this?"

"What kind of a question is that?" he muttered, morosely. "Who is ever ready for something like this?"

"I would knock you out … "

"Yeah, well, Faye already tried that. No thanks." Spike set the bottle down and laid on his side. After a moment he shut his eyes. "Alright, do it."

Bracing the arm above the injury, Jet hovered his fingers around the discolored dislocated fingers. "Careful or fast?"

Spike swallowed, his eyes still closed, tight. "Fast. And don't tell me. Just do it."

Jet cringed at what he had to do. But there was no choice. The longer they waited, the harder the break would be. This couldn't wait for a doctor. He took a deep breath and pressed. The bones crunched and crackled.

Spike remained still, and fought to suppress the scream. Ed slept in the chair. But his efforts ultimately failed. He opened his mouth in a full throated wail of agony. Jet worked as fast as he could. Ideally, he wanted Spike awake to see if the bones were in place.

* * *

The memory faded as Jet continued to stare at Faye squirming beside him. She kept stealing glances Spike. At last Jet leaned back on an elbow, "In the end your actions saved the crew, but there are consequences, Faye. It just doesn't make sense why you would hit him."

Struggling for the words, Faye tugged her headband into place. "Because … well … " She glanced towards Ed sleeping in the chair. But that had happened afterwards. Still it burned raw in her. Chewing on her lip she couldn't find a way to explain it. " … the way he looks at me … or rather … " her head lowered, " … doesn't."

Jet groaning into his palm. "Damn it, he was right again. God, Faye, leave the poor guy alone and stop chasing a dog that will never come."

Faye sat up straighter. "But … "

"It's not you." Jet put a hand on her good shoulder. "Spike's not ready for a relationship with anyone. Given what happened to him, I doubt he'll ever truly be. Somedays I swear it's a miracle the guy functions as much as he does."

Faye pressed her fist against her heart. "But maybe if he tried to get close to someone, everyone knows love can heal wounds."

"In your romance novels, maybe." Jet shrugged. "Reality not so much. Spike knows what he needs. And it isn't you … it isn't any one."

The trembling of Faye's hope shattering traveled up his arm. She moved her lips, but no sound came out.

Jet let his hand fall from her shoulder. "Look Faye, out of everyone on this ship I'm convinced that Spike is the only one of us who knows who he truly is and has accepted it for what it is, what he needs to keep going against the past."

Faye turned her eyes to Spike, observing his injuries. "He's withholding joy, he's punishing himself."

Wearily, Jet sighed. "You are so far from the truth … but that's all I got strength for." He stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna go set the auto-pilot for Ganymede, then I'm off to bed. These two'll be out for at least twelve hours, Spike likely longer. Good thing he has such a hard head. That gives you plenty of time to figure out how to apologize to him while you get the laundry started."

Faye blanched. Was he really serious about that?

Jet called over his shoulder as he clomped up the stairs to the bridge. "Oh, there's some noodles on the stove. It's not much, but I also had more to do than cook. It was all I could manage."

* * *

 **See you Space Cowboy...**


	26. Session 26

_**Session 26**_

Spike stirred beneath the blanket. His eyes cracked open and followed the spinning ceiling fan blades. Heaving a sigh he settled into the couch relishing the climate controlled environment. Never before climbing back on the ship had he craved a cold shower. But after all that heat and humidity, more steam was the last thing he'd wanted to be subjected to. Even after the passage of time he vividly recalled the relief of the cold water against his scalp.

If only the numbness had lasted. It'd been a few days now, and not the first time the throb in his hand woke him from a deep sleep.

Which meant he knew what was coming. Half closing his eyes he pondered his options. Dinner had been several hours ago, the ship's lights now set on dim. So … Jet was probably sleeping in his quarters. He hated to bother him, since the poor guy had his own aching head to deal with, after all Spike's own head still constantly bugged him. That meant having to shift for himself and go round up something. But the fridge was quite a walk. He sighed, not thrilled about that prospect. Of course the med kit wasn't on the table anymore, and he didn't know where Jet had put it, only where it typically was. So chasing down some form of pain-killer could result in a wild goose chase from the kitchen down to the workshop where the medical scanner usually sat. Lots of stairs. That ordeal seemed unappealing. The other alternative was down in his own room where he had squirreled away a few alternative odds and ends. But his stomach turned at the work involved in attempting to boil a desiccated lizard into drinkable goo, even if the concoction might work.

Spike sighed and tugged the blanket up. Staying put and toughing it out, it was.

He'd just closed his eyes when the sound of gasped breathing opened them again. It reminded him of someone running. But there were no footsteps, and the sound's point of origin wasn't changing. It was close by, too. Surely they didn't have an intruder on the ship. And to the best of Spike's knowledge there had been no _left-overs turned mutant monster_ , not after last time.

Sitting up slowly, as he still had to be careful not to move his head too fast, Spike caught the motion from the chair on the other side of the table. Curled in a tight ball, Ed jerked and shuddered, tears streaming down her face from her closed eyes. Her bare feet flexed in a pattern. Running.

Instantly he knew what was going on. So far she'd been quiet, he doubt he would have heard her unless he'd been awake. If this continued unabated she could very well wake the entire ship.

Spike crossed the room and couched down. He reached out his right hand and brushed Ed's shoulder. As he expected, she barely reacted to the touch. He pressed a little firmer against her shoulder and whispered her name in short intervals as her thrashing increased.

At last, her eyes sprung open, chest heaving she clawed at the chair.

Spike gripped her shoulder, holding her from falling. "Easy now, Ed."

Bloodshot eyes darted up to him beneath the bandage tamping down her mussy orange hair. Ed released a squeal before she practically climbed up Spike, startling him as she threw her arms around his neck. He caught her weight with his right arm, the left still useless. But he hardly had to do anything, she'd locked her legs around his waist like a vice. There she clung, shivering. Her tears soaking into his t-shirt.

This was going to take awhile, and Spike's knees weren't appreciating the position. Careful not to jar his own injuries, or Ed's, he stood and made his way around the table to sit back on the couch. It took a little doing, but he managed to extract himself from the frantic child enough to raise his knee, a touch of relief as he rested his left elbow on it, the aching hand safely out of the way.

Meanwhile, settled in his lap, Ed continued to muffle her sobs in handfuls of his shirt fabric. He rubbed her back, not saying a word as the minutes ticked by. Gradually she grew stiller. Hiccups replaced the sobs. She rubbed her face and lowered her eyes. "Sor … hic … sorry."

"It's ok. A nightmare, huh? I understand."

Ed turned her bloodshot eyes up at him. "You … you do?"

He nodded, his hand continued stroking her back. She was still shivering.

It seemed to dawn on her slowly. "Spike … gets … nightmares?"

The nod was almost imperceptible. "Plagued by them most of my life, kiddo."

Ed pulled harder on his shirt. "How do you make them go away?"

Spike shut his eyes for a moment. A flicker deep down he hadn't expected. He knew what most would say. _It'll get better. They'll all go away. Everything is ok. They're just bad dreams that can't hurt you._ For all their good intentions, those were all lies. With a deep sigh he met her desperate gaze. Tell her what she wanted to hear? Or … what she needed to?

"Truth is … they don't."

Ed stiffened, the fear welled.

He cupped her jaw and held her gaze. "Stay with me, now. We can't stop the dreams, Ed. They will just keep coming. Those old lines of 'scars heal' is a bunch of bullshit. They might, but there's a whole lot to deal with left behind that nobody ever talks about."

"What if Faye finds out? Faye will—"

Spike smirked. "Don't you worry about Faye's loud mouth. She has no right to say anything about this, kid. Not one. You just ignore her teasing. You got enough to deal with. Take a page from my book and just ignore her ass."

"I don't want the nightmares … the … fear … " She sniffled. "I just want to be me again."

Spike shrugged. "I didn't say you couldn't. There are ways. The scars remain. It's up to us to learn to shoulder the pain. Realize when its trying to claim us again."

Ed pounded a fist against his shoulder. "I don't like it. It felt real, like they were gonna get me!"

"Yeah. Believe me, I know exactly what you mean. Don't make my mistake and live in the illusions. You're a hacker, Ed. Recognize they're dreams, and hack them."

"You think I can?"

"You hacked and flew the _Bebop._ " He cracked a grin. "If anyone can, it's you."

Ed's fingers brushed against his neck, she shivered.

He glanced around the living room, the familiar sight brought comfort to him. Who's to say it couldn't to her too. "This place is one sweet refuge, kid. Stay on the _Bebop_ where you're safe."

A short silence stretched out before Ed's hand drifted up to the bandage around her head. "I can't close my eyes."

"You will." He squeezed her shoulder. "You'll have to. Remember, you don't have to face this alone. I'm kinda jealous."

Her eyes trembled. "You … you are?"

"You have an advantage." Spike held Ed back and met her shivering gaze. "I didn't have anyone. I had to rely on myself." He struggled to find the words. "But you don't have to. You have us."

Ed wobbled in his grasp. Then she collapsed against his chest and sobbed harder than before in a release Spike had been waiting for, all the pent up fear. He rested his chin on her head, well aware of the maelstrom racking the child. No words could be spoken, he just sat there for her.

It occurred to him, his own words spoken to offer her a shred of hope, if things had been different. If instead of trudging onward into a cocoon of numbed indifference, if he'd had someone who'd given a shit, some place he could have been himself and let it all out, … could he have found the strength to face Vicious earlier? To take control and the path he'd longed to chose? A tear escaped him. He'd never know.

Ed's sobbing quieted.

He stroked her head, careful of the bandage. "Better now?"

She clumsily nodded.

"Good. You're so lucky." Spike's throat tightened a bit. He paused to catch the hitching before he could continue. "You have a place where you belong, and a family that gives a shit about you." He caught his mistake a little late … after all, Ed's father had walked off without her after they'd only just been reunited. He hoped she'd catch what he'd intended, her chosen family. Swiftly he continued, "Gives you a chance to fight this and win."

" … win … " Ed murmured.

After a few quiet minutes passed, Spike glanced down to see her eyes closing. Something he was close to doing himself. His own head complained. "Right, kiddo, time to get some more sleep. We got healing to do."

As he attempted to adjust her to carry her across the room, Ed fussed. She continued to cling to him, inescapable as the coils of a snake. After a few attempts, and gripes from his head, Spike heaved a sigh. "Fine." Changing tactics, he clumsily scooted until he could lie on his side, Ed tucked up against his chest already falling asleep as her arm encircled his neck. There was barely enough room on the couch, but it worked.

Spike's fingers tangled in Ed's hair. "You and me, we're broken, kiddo … but that's ok. We'll fix each other."

He closed his eyes. _Well … this is going to be hard to explain. Aww, screw it. Who gives a crap?_

Down in the stairwell, Faye clung to the shadows having paused when she'd heard voices. Witness to the entire conversation, a pit grew in her stomach. Once the silence had stretched, she tip-toed up into the dim living room. The breathing slow and steady. But still, she approached with care in case Spike was faking it.

He wasn't. Faye stared down at the two nestled together beneath the blanket. Once more the desire slammed her. But Jet's words stayed any effort. Besides, she'd heard the fear in Ed's voice. She hugged her arms around herself feeling very isolated. Before she accidentally woke them, she retreated back to her room. She still owed Spike an apology, one she wasn't prepared to give.

* * *

Spike sat on the couch the next morning. Tendrils of smoke twisted up from the cigarette he savored. A scrumptious aroma wafted from the kitchen. Jet at last up to preparing a full meal, something Spike anticipated. They'd been eating, but it was the easy to prep stuff. Not that he'd complain. Food was food at the moment, _anything_ was better than starvation.

On the floor, Ed sat with her back against the chair. Her knee rested against her powered down computer. The strange sack off to the side. Ein lay in front of her with his chin resting on her leg.

Leaning back, Spike inhaled and tried to guess what their meal would be while keeping an eye on Ed.

Faye wandered up from the crew-quarters hall, a bunch of small bottles in her hands. She made a show of looking for Ed. Bending down in front of her she smiled. "Oh hey, I was just looking for you." When Ed glanced up at her, she presented the bottles of nail polish. "I need a girl's opinion on what color to use. What do you think? Want to paint my nails for me, hmm?"

Ed blinked at the bright bottles, offering nothing more than a blank stare.

From the couch, Spike observed through half-lidded eyes. Something that did not escape Faye's attention.

No one moved in the uncomfortable silence. The grin on Faye's face grew tighter.

At last Jet called out from the door, "Come and get it."

Without answering, Ed teetered to her feet and wandered to the kitchen, Ein in tow.

Faye, at a loss for what to do, stood there, looking around for a graceful exit. It didn't present itself. All she saw was Spike watching her. She dropped the colorful bottles on the table in a huff and planted her hands on her hips. "Don't say what you were thinking, Spike! I don't even want to hear your snide ass remark!"

He stood slowly, and extinguished the butt of his cigarette in the dish on the table. Hand in his pocket, he leaned closer and whispered, "I was going to say, 'Nice try'. But if you don't want the compliment, s'alright with me."

Faye watched his back as he sauntered toward the kitchen. Slowly her face sank into her hands.

* * *

Warm winds stirred up the waters in Ganymede's bay where the _Bebop_ lay at anchor. Jet had figured there was no sense in rushing things, so they'd taken the last weeks at ease. In the late morning he reclined on the flight deck lazily tending a fishing pole.

A news cast rambled on from a portable receiver. _" … most recently the asteroid terraforma of Tijuana has been inundated with odd precipitation. Not of the watery kind. Reports of large robotic fish-like creatures falling in the streets have disrupted traffic. The source of these unidentified objects is unknown. They seem to be harmless, incapable of moving on land and thus do not pose a large risk to the population. As of this report the only known injury involved a drunk man who mistook the teeth for a bottle opener. Police recovered his fingers …"_

Beside Jet, Spike toyed with the reel on his own fishing pole disappointed to find the hook empty, including the bait. Jet chuckled as his partner sourly grabbed a worm and stabbed it onto the hook.

At least Spike had two functioning hands again. He recast the line and nocked the pole back into the deck holder, idly waiting for the bobber. As he did, he absentmindedly massaged his left hand. Well, it was better at least. He wasn't ready for any prey tougher than reeling in mid sized fish, yet. But soon they could resume chasing bounties. Spike eyed the motionless bobber and took a swig from his beer bottle. "Why do we do this? We never catch anything."

Jet took a deep breath and let it out slowly, savoring the fresh air. "You got anything better to do?"

Spike's reply was little more than a grunt.

The clicking of small metal feet against the flight deck carried. Jet plucked up his beer bottle and saved it from the robotic compy ambling around. "Ed, I told you to keep them back from the edge. I'm not going to dive into the water if they fall in."

Tinkering with one of the six, Ed waved Ein toward the wayward creature. The dog dutifully picked it up by the neck and carried it back, safe from a watery grave.

"You're really letting her keep them?" Spike took another swig.

Jet shrugged, "Eh, why not?"

"Your ship, pard. Don't look at me when they start pulling it apart."

The doors to the hanger, already cracked open, rumbled all the way. In a short span of time the _Redtail_ took off leaving a gust that knocked the compys over like dominoes. Spike and Jet barely spared a glance, instead they both reeled in their lines to find the bait stolen, again.

They reset the hooks, cast the lines, and cracked open fresh beers.

"Yo, Spike, has Faye apologized yet?"

Cleaning his ear with a pinky, he replied without a pause, "It'll be a warm day with the sun shining down on a Callisto beach resort before that happens."

"Really? The odds are that good?"

The news continued to drone on, _" … in other news. Earth enthusiasts gather in record numbers as Whistling House is holding an auction for a highly unusual item. Today the bidding is expected to reach record heights as a bottle of Pasion Azteca Platinum hits the market. This bottle, covered in 6,400 diamond chips, and filled with a now rare premium Earth tequila, is rumored to be the most valuable in the galaxy starting at close to 4 trillion woolongs … "_

Jet took a sip of his beer. "You don't think … "

Spike shrugged. "Don't look at me. I had no where to put that bottle."

Not even looking at one another, they watched the lines. "I guess it should come as no surprise, we are talking about Faye."

Taking out a cigarette, Spike lit it before side-eyeing Jet. "Exactly how much does she owe us?"

* * *

 _ **You're Gonna Carry That Weight... but not alone.**_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _So we come to an end of this adventure. But not ultimately the end. More hi-jinks await the crew, and I promise not to shred them so thoroughly next time... at least physically. I must indeed extend a thank you to Luck Kazajian, whom you can thank for dropping the line amidst conversations after Ed's first scene going to Spike for support that he's probably got a lot of good advice once you can drag it out of him. That comment got me thinking and I went well beyond the first scene which was intended to be mostly a one and done._

 _Thanks for reading! Next up, a real "swinging" catch … and if you know my writing, that should give a huge clue where this is going._


End file.
